Gohan's Dilemma
by WingedFreedom622
Summary: An accident at Capsule Corps. results with Gohan ending up in the world of the shinobi! What will the hybrid saiyan do! Pre-timeskip. Starts during the Wave Arc. FINAL CHAPTER AND EPILOGUE UP!
1. Arrival

Disclaimer: Own jack diddly squat.

Sorry if this chapter seems a little below my usual standard. I promise that the next on is _much_ better.

WARNING!! IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY **_CONSTRUCTIVE _**CRITICISM, DO NOT BOTHER TO LEAVE A REVIEW!

However, if you **do** have constructive criticism or just want to let me know how much you liked the story, feel free to review.

* * *

The laughter of a young child drifted over the heavily forested land close to the Son residence. Chichi, wife of the legendary hero of Earth, Son Goku, stopped her work in the kitchen to look out the open window at the speck that was dancing in the sky with more agility than any bird or plane. Though her face twisted into a frown, she couldn't help but feel proud of her son. After all, how many mothers in the world could brag that their kid had single-handedly saved the world from the threat posed by the freakishly powerful Android, Cell?

Now her eldest son was thirteen and was currently taking a break from his studies. Chichi would _not _have another Karate bum in this house! Gohan would get an education and be a productive member of society, dammit! She loved her husband dearly, but really, the man needed to get a job! Though that possibility had vanished at the Cell Games. She had found out about what had happened at that vile tournament. Goku had committed the ultimate sacrifice to save the planet from the newest threat to the Earth. It hadn't been enough though, and Cell had returned, greater and more terrible than ever. Her son had taken his father's place as the protector of the planet and killed the evil android in one final Kamehameha duel. Peace had returned and Chichi had suggested (more like bullied, but she would never admit that) that Gohan resume his studies.

* * *

High up, at the altitude that most aircraft cruised at, Son Gohan grinned his father's grin and cut his chi, allowing himself to fall out of the sky. He sent himself into a series of tumbles and spins that would have made any normal human pilot pass out. Gohan was anything but normal. In fact, he wasn't even pure human. He was a half Saiyan, because his father was a full-blooded member of that war-like race, and his mom was a normal human woman. He was just glad his dad wasn't an arrogant mean guy like Vegeta.

His face lit up at the sight of a cloud rushing straight up at him. The half-Saiyan cut his freefall and powered straight down, an aura of blue ki blazing into existence around him. The boost in power meant he could go even faster and he streaked down towards the airborne pocket of water vapor like a meteor falling through the sky. The cloud suddenly sprouted a tentacle as Gohan's passage blew the white object in half. The boy himself emerged from the tentacle, heading straight down at a speed approaching Mach 1. Seconds before he hit the ground, he stopped dead before flashing off in another direction, blasting through undergrowth and making hurricane winds that shook leaves and rattled trees for close to a mile to either side of him.

Chichi smiled as her son blazed out of the trees with a roaring wind right behind him. Gohan touched down, skidding from the tree line nearly fifty yards away right up to the front door of the house. She caught a glimpse of his windswept face before the front door opened and Gohan came in. The woman's face brightened as she heard Gohan's footsteps head up the stairs, followed by his bedroom door closing. Now there was a good boy. Going right back to his studies like a good boy.

* * *

Gohan listened at the door carefully, checking to see if his mom was coming up the stairs to see if he really was doing his homework. Nothing. Guess she wasn't going to come check on him. Good thing too. Bulma had invited him over to Capsule Corps to see a new invention she'd come up with. The inventor had promised that the demi-Saiyan had never seen anything like this before. The owner of the world's leading capsule manufacturer had called Gohan close to three months ago, asking him if he wanted to see the machine. He would have taken off during the flight he just had, but he knew that his mom would be timing him to the second.

The teen had quickly agreed and promised Bulma that he would come just as soon as he could. That had taken awhile because Chichi kept coming up to check on him whenever she felt like it. She'd caught him training once and there had been hell to pay. That had happened once and kept training, knowing he had to protect the world from people like Cell and Bojack. Now he had a chance and he wasn't about to pass it up.

He snuck over to the window, even going as far as to float a little bit to keep his footsteps nonexistent. Gohan lifted into the sky and made sure that he stayed above the house, so Chichi wouldn't be able to look out the window and see him leaving. When he was finally above cloud level, he turned to face West City and blasted off in a flash of blue.

* * *

Bulma was in a special room in Capsule Corps. It was her private lab, where she performed all her most dangerous experiments. She didn't even allow Vegeta in here. Not that the prideful Saiyan Prince ever bothered to take a break from his vicious training schedule to come and visit. She was expecting Gohan to come and see this, but knew that it might be awhile. Chichi had her son in a deathgrip and kept shoving his nose in the books. The blue-haired genius felt glad that Vegeta trained as hard as he did. At least one of her family and friends would be able to step up to defend the planet should the need arise. Which it did every few years. The intercom buzzed, startling her.

Hitting the key she said, "Yes?"

"Ms. Bulma, a Son Gohan is here to see you," her secretary said. Bulma grinned. Finally she would be able to have Gohan's input. The boy learned fast, she would give him that, so she had started giving the half-Saiyan more 'hands-on' lessons in physics and things like that. Every now and again, she would invite him over to spend the day helping her with inventions.

"Thank you, send him down to lab 66A."

"Yes ma'am." The intercom clicked off and Bulma crossed over to the console that controlled the massive machine in the center of the lab. All the unnecessary things like the tables, beakers and flasks, basically everything that defined a lab, had been capsulized and put in a little bin sitting behind the console. The machine itself was a monster. A huge ring sat on a large steel plate, the edges of the slightly oval shaped ring reaching almost to the walls of the lab. It was steel gray with purple squares inset with blue gems of some kind at the top, bottom, and each end. Cables as thick as Vegeta's chest trailed from all over the bottom of the steel plate. Some held coolant, some siphoned off waste generated during the power up, and one brought power up from the nuclear generator that supplied the electricity to run this thing and tear the fabric of space-time.

A hiss sounded behind her, and Bulma turned to greet her visitor, a warm grin on her face.

"Hey Gohan!"

"Hi Bulma!" The black-haired teen strode into the room, wearing a blue and white tee-shirt and jeans. He looked surprisingly normal compared to his father and Bulma's husband, who both wore workout clothes or a gi twenty-four hours a day. Bulma suspected that Gohan's overprotective mother had something to do with this. Seriously, Chichi was good girl, but she really needed to let go and let Gohan do what Gohan wanted to do with his life. "Is this it?"

"Yep!" She said proudly. "This thing can open a doorway to other dimensions. It's still a little unstable, but I think that most of the bugs that would make the transition lethal to anyone below you guys' stamina are gone."

"Have you tried to send anything across?" Gohan asked, interested with this pretty cool machine.

"No. Until now, I've been just trying to get a stable connection. Wanna see it work?"

"Sure."

"Wait a sec." Bulma went to the console that ran the whole operation while Gohan stood at the base of the steel plate that held the portal. Now the half-Saiyan noticed thick channels carved into the spaces in between the four gems. He had just enough time to wonder what the heck they were for when he heard a deep whine that quickly escalated straight up the scale and passed from the range of both human and Saiyan hearing. Gohan looked back and saw Bulma hard at work, flicking switches and turning dials. The four gems lit up, glowing brighter and brighter before lighting surged from each gem and raced through the channels in the oval until a ring of pure energy outlined the thing and each gem glowed like a supernova.

Bits of energy coalesced in the ring, gathering in the center, making a spot that shone with the intensity of a sun. With a sharp crack, the sun erupted and formed a shimmering window that looked like water or mercury suspended in the air.

Next images began to flash across the 'screen'. There was a huge moon-sized space station blowing up. A swordsman with flaming red hair wielding a katana with supreme skill, another red-haired guy that wore a black kimono and had a sword shaped like a kitchen knife. The images flashed faster and faster before stopping on a birds-eye view of a dirt road line with trees.

'So peaceful looking.' Gohan thought as he stepped up on the plate. His messy hair stood up on end like it did when he transformed to Super Saiyan 2 the closer he got to the portal. He was mere inches away from it, looking with great curiosity at the image displayed.

Bulma finished up at the control station, the portal finally stabilized, and looked up. What she saw froze her heart. Gohan was inches from the portal and was slowly getting closer, centimeter by centimeter.

"GOHAN! NO!" That was the wrong thing to do. Her shout startled him and that jerk was enough. Before her eyes, Gohan pitched forward and fell through. The instant he did, the portal began to go critical. She had no choice. The generator wasn't meant for such a huge mass to be introduced at once. Now it was in danger of exploding which would only wipe out all of West City. Hating herself every moment, Bulma lifted a cover and exposed the emergency cutoff. She flicked it without hesitation, not willing to sacrifice a whole city just to get Gohan back.

All the cables blew away, propelled by explosive bolts on the connectors and the resulting energy backlash from the sudden disconnection fried every circuit in the control panel, raising the acrid scent of melted silicone and wiring. Deprived of power, the portal winked out from existence almost immediately. Bulma could only hope that Gohan had made it through in one piece. She didn't want to have him stuck between dimensions for eternity.

* * *

Gohan hurtled down a swirling vortex of color and light. The tunnel seemed to stretch for eternity. The tunnel scintillated and sparked with every color in the rainbow and a few new ones too. Static electricity flared from the Saiyan's body as he flew forward. In front of him, long trains of glowing green balls of energy, looking like spirits hung on a rosary, twisted and contorted around him, making him dizzy. After what seemed like forever, a white light began to shine in the distance, growing ever closer. In between him and the exit, were two yellow streaks that were heading straight toward him.

Suddenly, Gohan was uneasy. Something was screaming at him not to let those balls of light touch him. He tried to twist out of the way, fire a blast of ki, _anything_! There was nothing he could do. His scream didn't make a noise in void between dimensions as the yellow light hit him full in the chest, vaporizing his shirt and exposing his torso. He was too busy screaming from the pain that assailed him to care. If felt like someone had pushed a branding iron to every nerve in his body. His eyes were closed, so he didn't notice what the light had left behind. Two black kanji had etched themselves into his skin; they were the symbols for the numbers one and two. In the next instant, he was passing through the white light and into the world beyond, a world that would test him just as much, and even more, than the battles with Cell and Bojack combined had done.

* * *

Twelve-year-old Uzumaki Naruto strode down the quaint lane with not a care in the world. It was his first time outside the gates of Konohagakure and he was psyched! It didn't matter that he was here with that stuck-up prissy, Sasuke, and his beloved Sakura-chan was always fawning over the brooding Uchiha. Nor did it matter that Kakashi-sensei wouldn't teach him anything cool. Hell, even the old bridge-builder that Team Seven was escorting couldn't bring down his spirits. That old man could sit on a railroad spike for all he cared. It was a beautiful day and the temperature was warm…

The sky turned an angry end-of-the-world black, blotting out the sun. A chill wind whipped down the dirt road the group was traveling on, tousling hair and whipping Sakura's dress around. Thankfully, she wore shorts underneath so she didn't have to worry about showing off her panties.

"Odd." Sakura turned to look at her masked sensei, her long pink hair whipping in the strong gale.

"Sensei? What is it?" The masked ninja turned his only visible eye, the only part one could see of his face, onto her.

"Strange weather we're having eh?" Now Sasuke broke in.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Yeah," Naruto added, hyper as ever. "So it got a little stormy. What's wrong with that?"

The masked ninja sighed heavily wishing, not for the first time, that he'd remained with ANBU. But no, he just had to leave and teach genins. Great. What a way to earn a living.

"Naruto, it was clear a moment ago. There wasn't any hint of a storm. So why is it getting all gloomy now?"

"Some kind of enemy jutsu?" Sasuke asked, thinking it to be the most probable explanation. Kakashi shook his head.

"No. This would be beyond Kage level at the very least, and I don't think that there is anyone that powerful in existence right now…" He trailed off as another phenomenon made itself known in that moment. The sky began to swirl, like someone would see in a hurricane. Lightning arced over clouds, most of it coming from the eye-like hole that had opened up. The electrical storm began to pick up in intensity and frequency before a bulge of white light pushed at the edges of the hole. Naruto thought it looked like something was about to push its way out. The blond was proven right a moment later when _something_ blasted out of the hole with enough force to hit them with a shockwave, even as far away as they were.

The _thing_ crashed into the ground a few miles away, sending a cloud of debris screaming towards them. Kakashi had just enough time to make a Kage Bunshin to knock the genin to the ground and tackled a cursing Tazuna to the ground himself before the dust cloud and shockwave hit them. Kakashi waited a split second and was rewarded for his caution as a searing heat blast slammed into them with enough force to make him break out in a cold sweat almost immediately. After semi-quiet had been returned, only then did the Copy-nin let his charges up.

"Let's move out." He commanded sharply, showing the serious side he usually hid under a cloak of laziness and chronic tardiness. "Some one may have been near that. We need to make sure that if anyone's there, they're not dead."

"Yes Sensei!" The three genin shouted before bounding into the trees with more strength and agility than any normal person close to their age. Tazuna was left to run at the classic human pace, accompanied by Kakashi's Shadow Clone.

Kakashi was right to see if some one was there in the epicenter of the blast. Now, under a clearing sky, there was indeed something to behold. Son Gohan laid facedown, shirtless, and clearly either dead or out cold. If someone got close enough to his literally smoking body, though, they would see that the young teen was still breathing, having survived the harrowing trip from his dimension.

* * *

The first thing that Gohan became aware of was the all-consuming pain that rumbled up and down his nervous system. He stirred, picking himself up with a groan, only managing to get his chest, suspiciously bare of any kanji etched into him, before collapsing back. His head throbbed viciously and made the world swirl around him. Nausea and disorientation proved to be too much for him, and he dry heaved for close to a minute before his stomach decided it had done enough to torment him.

Blackness swirled around him, and as it consumed him, he heard some one shouting for help. Who could it be? Then everything went away and Gohan knew no more.

* * *

Kakashi cast an appraising and cautious glance over the crumpled form of the kid who'd been in the center of the disturbance. The boy was young, around his squad's ages, if a little older. He was muscled, very well defined, as if he was like them, built for power and speed. A general rule of thumb was that the more defined your opponent, the faster and stronger they were. It wasn't a solve-all rule, especially in cases like the Akimichi, but Hatake thought that it would apply for this scenario. If it was true, this kid could be just as strong as Kakashi himself. This teen also seemed to be able to take a great deal of punishment and come back for more, if the numerous cut, bruises and lacerations were anything to go by.

Sakura was busy smearing an ointment that helped to speed the healing process on the worst of the kid's wounds. She thought it was a good thing that she followed that old saying that said 'always be prepared.' This ointment, combined with a few common herbs in the area would cut the healing time in half, and with this kid, any cut was good.

Sasuke was indifferent, who cared what happened to this loser? It wouldn't matter in the end; the Uchiha would ascend beyond all opposition and kill his older brother. His pride wouldn't allow him to admit that he was a little intimidated by this guy. He only looked a year or two older than Sasuke himself, but he had physical strength. That was quite plain. He, like Kakashi, had picked up on Gohan's build and knew that this would be something to watch out for. Sasuke only hoped that this guy knew some half-assed techniques to teach to him.

Naruto was trying to not poke this weirdo with a stick. He knew Sakura-chan, though. If he even tried, he would be hit really really hard by that heavy backpack of hers. As it was, the hyper blond contented himself with squatting a few feet away and staring at the unconscious kid with his squint-face. Just who the hell was this guy? Ah! All this wondering and thinking made his head hurt! He decided to stroll over to the bushes to see what he could dig up.

"Naruto, wait. We're leaving." Kakashi's voice drew everyone's attention to him. "I'll carry our friend here at least until we get to Tazuna's village. We can decide what to do then, or if he wakes up, we can ask him." The three genin nodded and followed their sensei over to Tazuna who was just catching up. The Kakashi clone poofed from existence and the group of five continued on their way, with Kakashi carrying Gohan.

* * *

Night fell, and the group stopped to camp for the night, and Kakashi decided to give his bedroll to the mysterious visitor. After getting the kid settled in, they set the watch and began to drop off to sleep. Hatake had decided that he would take first watch, and settled in to the most comfortable tree branch he could find. As he scanned the darkness, careful not to look at the fire and fry his night vision, Kakashi's gaze fell on the strange kid that they had picked up. The masked ninja didn't know why they had taken the boy with them. What if he was an enemy shinobi? It wasn't that strange for other villages to send even new genins out on hunt-and-kill missions. Konoha didn't do it, preferring to keep the green genins at home until they could get promoted to chuunin.

* * *

The first thing that Gohan became aware of was that his aches and pains had greatly diminished. It actually felt like he'd be able to sit up without puking up nothing again. Next he registered that he was warm. He could hear the crackling of a fire and could just make out the gentle chirping of crickets. It had to be nighttime. Finally, he stirred and opened his eyes. He was in a very comfortable sleeping bag, in a clearing of some kind. Arrayed around him were four other people. Three appeared to be kids his age, a boy with blond, a boy with black hair and a girl with pink hair. Some might find it strange to see someone with pink hair, but Gohan was used to seeing aliens and people change their hair color at will. Pink hair was pretty tame after all that.

"So. You're awake?" The young Saiyan whirled at the sound of the voice and saw a lanky man with only a single visible eye. The rest of his face was hidden beneath a headband with a metal plate that had a stylized leaf etched into it. He also had a green flack vest on over a black body suit. He also had pouches that clearly had weapons inside

"Who…Where am I?" Gohan asked, feeling real groggy. He could remember the portal incident, but what happened after that was a big black blank. Something happened to him on his way to this dimension, but for whatever reason, he had no clue what it was.

"You're on a road about half way to the Wave Country," the masked guy told him. Wave Country? Was kind of name was that? It was pretty self-explanatory, but still… He decided that he had to know who he was with.

"Who are you?" He asked, feeling a little more alert now that his brain was starting to process again. Now he just had to figure out how to get back to his dimension. Gohan didn't think that Dende knew that he was gone and something told him that Kaio-sama, the guy his dad was living with right now, wouldn't pick up on it, seeing as he was a lord of the northern section of his galaxy.

Gohan was on his own. His only hope was that Bulma would be able to get the generator working again and pull him back.

"I am Hatake Kakashi." The masked man's deep voice startled the young fighter and he jumped, forgetting that he'd even asked the guy his name. "How about you? It would be rude not to tell me your own name after asking me mine."

Gohan thought the guy had a point, so he answered. "I'm Son Gohan."

"Son Gohan…" Kakashi murmured, as if he was trying out the kid's name. "Where're you from?" Gohan frowned, wondering how to phrase this without coming off as insane.

"I'm from…a real long way away." There. That would have to do until the half-Saiyan could figure out how to break this down to believable levels.

"Somewhere…not of this world?" Kakashi's question threw Gohan for a loop. It was clear that the man knew that he wasn't really from around this particular dimension. Hatake, for his part, knew that he'd hit the proverbial nail on the head. Gohan had come from that anomaly in the sky this afternoon. The child should consider himself fortunate that Konoha nins had found him and not others. Other shinobi, especially the Mist village ninja, weren't known for their hospitality, and travelers on the roads needed to watch their backs at all times.

"Yeah. I'm from another dimension." Whatever Kakashi had been expecting, it sure wasn't that. The look on his face would have been comical, if one, the situation wasn't so serious, and two, if the jounin's face had been exposed.

"Another…dimension?" The masked man repeated, thunderstruck. "How's that possible?" Gohan sighed, running a hand through his messy black hair. Then, he took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Kakashi the whole story. He didn't know why he did it, but Gohan's reasoning was that he owed these people his life. It would be rude not to tell them just who they'd taken the time to save. Kakashi looked thoughtful at the conclusion of the kid's story. All this talk about generators and dimension jumping was making the jounin's head spin, even if he wouldn't show it.

"And that's what happened." Gohan finished, finally stopping. He'd told Kakashi everything that happened at the lab. He wanted to let off on what he could do. Gohan knew Kakashi could tell that Gohan wasn't normal. After all, how many normal people could survive a trip like that?

"Well," Gohan looked at this masked man who had an unusual feeling ki, as if he was hiding most of it. "Since you have nowhere to go and no place to get home, why don't you come with us? My team and I are on a mission to help that old guy over there. After we complete it, you can come and stay with us in Konohagakure. We'll have to clear it with the village's leader, but the Sandaime Hokage is a benevolent man. We shouldn't have a problem."

"Thank you." Gohan murmured quietly, meaning every word. Now he had a place to stay. The Super Saiyan had no problem living in the wilderness, but really, who actually _wanted _to do that? Piccolo would say that he would, but that was an outright lie. The Namekian lived at the Lookout with Dende, not out even farther than Gohan did.

"Don't mention it. Konoha's a big place. One more person won't make a difference." With the finality implied in Kakashi's voice, Gohan knew that the conversation was over and it was time to rest. But first the young visitor had something to take care of. He got up, stumbling a little. Gohan still felt a little woozy from the dimension shift. Once in the woods, he pulled a little item that looked a lot like a makeup compact. It couldn't have been any different. This was his capsule case.

He popped it open and selected one of the pill-looking gadgets inside. He pushed the little plunger on the top and waited just a moment. There was an explosion of smoke and the little capsule had turned into Gohan's favorite gi, complete with the weighted cape that Piccolo had given him just before the start of the Cell Games. The young guardian of the earth scrambled into the soft, worn clothes and tied the blood-red sash around his waist and pulled on the thin but durable shoes. The cape and tattered remains of his jeans went back into the capsule along with his tennis shoes. Now appropriately attired for this latest adventure, Gohan returned to camp, startling Kakashi with his sudden clothing change, but the masked jounin said nothing and waited until Gohan was asleep before waking Naruto up for his shift.

* * *

The next day found everyone up, helping to break camp. Gohan was noticeably missing from the proceedings as Kakashi had asked the Z fighter to go and see if he couldn't gather some fish from a nearby stream or something before everyone woke up.

"Hey," Tazuna said suddenly, looking around puzzled. "Where's that weird kid you decided to take with us?" Kakashi sighed. Tazuna had caught it before his students, who were supposed to be able to recognize things like this. The other three members of the little party stopped what they were doing and looked around.

"Hey, he's right!" Sakura exclaimed. "Isn't he supposed to be unconscious for a little while longer?"

"Yeah, what gives, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto added, asking what was on the minds of all three genins in the process. There was a sudden rustling in the bushes that had all the ninja, except for Kakashi, reaching for weapons. The bushes parted and Gohan emerged, five very decently sized fish slung over his shoulder on a rope that Kakashi noticed had been woven out of some kind of wild grape vine the young Saiyan had found while scouting for fish.

"Ah. Gohan, excellent work, I see you found us breakfast." The lanky jounin remarked, breaking the sudden silence over the camp. The black-haired powerhouse headed over to the fire and set his catch down. He straightened up and grinned the infamous Son grin at the lazy shinobi.

"Thanks Kakashi-san. It wasn't that hard. If you go in the early morning they're easier to catch because they're eating." The jounin nodded approvingly, knowing that himself, and added the fact that Gohan could fend for himself to the list of attributes that he'd already picked up about the boy.

Gohan appeared to notice the other three kids for the first time. He strode over to them and the four stood in a stare down, waiting to see who would do what first. The young Z fighter finally smiled and raised a hand in greeting,

"Uh, hi?" He sounded like he was really unsure of himself. In fact he was. All the training he did, combined with where he lived and all the studying he did meant that he never really got to meet many kids his age. "Um…My name is Son Gohan." Well, that wasn't so hard.

"I'm Haruno Sakura. It's nice to meet you Gohan-san." The girl with the pink hair said brightly. She didn't seem so bad. This was going rather well for his first chat with people his age.

Next up was the blond. Gohan could feel pure energy pouring off the boy. Not ki, even though he had an abundance of that, including an ominous, evil feel that was underlying his normal ki signature. Gohan didn't feel as if the blond was evil, but he definitely held a power to be wary of.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I love ramen and I'm gonna be Hokage!" Gohan had to grin and shake his head at the blonde's exuberance and energy. This would be very exciting getting to know this kid. Now Gohan's gaze rested on the last child in the group. He had an arrogant feel to him. This guy also had the look of someone who had something to prove and would go to any length to do it.

"Hn. Uchiha Sasuke," he said simply before turning and walking away.

"H-hey! Sasuke-kun! Wait up!" Sakura called, chasing after the brooding kid. Gohan's face fell. Did he do something wrong? Just what had he done to deserve such a cold reception?

"Ah. Don't mind him." Naruto told Gohan with a bright grin, folding his arms behind his head. "Sasuke-bastard's just a stuck up spoiled brat." The hyper kid changed the subject fast. "C'mon! Let's help Kakashi-sensei get ready!"

* * *

It was past noon almost five days later and everyone had gotten comfortable with Gohan being around. Sakura had even gotten friendly enough with him to add 'kun' to his name. Nothing much fazed Naruto and the blond didn't take much time to adjust and was treating the half-Saiyan like he'd known him for years. As for Sasuke…well, not much progress had been made there. The stoic genin almost seemed to regard Gohan as a threat, or perhaps, didn't consider the fighter human because of his method of arrival in this dimension. Either way, the Uchiha rarely said anything to their newest arrival, and when he did, his answers were monosyllabic and cold.

After a particularly frosty snub, Gohan decided that he would take it up with Kakashi.

"Hey, Kakashi?" The silver-haired jounin looked down at the young warrior.

"Yeah?"

"What's with Sasuke? He's always blowing me off." His reward for the question was an eye-smile from the Copy-nin.

"Don't let it get to you, Gohan." Hatake replied. "Sasuke has a lot of grief in his past. The Uchiha clan was once a very prominent clan within Konohagakure. They had everything. Power. Prestige. They commanded the police force within Konoha. The Uchiha even had a very powerful Kekkei Genkai called the Sharingan. Sasuke had even more, being the son of the Clan Head at the time. Then his brother decided to go rogue."

"Rogue?"

"Yeah. Uchiha Itachi was the single greatest genius that clan ever produced. Then, for whatever reason, he decided to kill his entire clan."

"The _entire clan_?" Gohan was clearly shocked by the masked shinobi's story. It was akin to his father, Son Goku, deciding to butcher the entire human race. Kakashi nodded at Gohan's exclamation.

"Yeah. Everyone including his own family. Except for Sasuke. No one knows why Itachi left Sasuke alive, but the big thing now is Sasuke is driven by the desire to restore his clan and kill Itachi. To that end, he has gotten it into his head that he doesn't need anyone but himself to do what he desires. I know Naruto told you not to personally and he's right. Sasuke's like that with everyone."

That was the only major thing that happened that day. Little did anyone in the group know that it was about to get a lot more interesting.

* * *

And that would be all. To all people new to my work, welcome! To all the others who've read The Ultimate Ace and The Disappearance, Welcome back! This is the third story in my rotation for updates and the cycle will be as follows: Ultimate Ace, Disappearance, Gohan's Dilemma. SO! That means that Ultimate Ace is the next one for an update. Thanks for reading and please review (see top for review policy). See you in a little while. Oh, one more thing. As a gauge for how strong Gohan is in this fic, this is the standard. One level of Super Saiyan is equal to two of Naruto's demon tails. What does that mean? Well, since Orochimaru is about as strong as a four tailed Naruto, that means it would take Gohan SS2 to beat the Snake-bastard. This also means that Kyuubi is _**stronger**_ than a Super Saiyan 4! (Didn't think that was possible did ya.)

**Glossary:**

**Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone skill/technique):** Same as the clone jutsu only the clone is real instead of an illusion. Has half the power of the user. Naruto's signature jutsu.


	2. Power of A Saiyan

Disclaimer: Once again, I own _nothing_!

Last time: An accident throws Gohan into the world of shinobi.

This time: The fight with Zabuza.

* * *

The day had started on a tense note. Naruto had managed to really piss Sasuke off and the Uchiha had made a biting remark that had the blond genin out to prove his stuff as a shinobi.

'I'll show him!' pounded through Naruto's head again and again. He hopped forward, scanning every little detail. He jumped at a small noise and whipped a shuriken at the source of the disturbance. The enemy had proven to be a rabbit.

"NARUTO YOU IDIOT!!" Sakura yelled, driving her fist into Naruto's head and sending the blond skidding, stopping a few feet from Gohan, eyes swirling.

While Gohan looked over Naruto for any major injuries, Kakashi was more interested in the rabbit, now very dead from Naruto's attack.

'Odd. That's a snowshoe hare. They should have brown coats this time of year not white. This one's been raised in captivity. That means it was sent here as a distraction!' He had just registered that this was a trap, and they had just waltzed right into it!

"GET DOWN!" Kakashi yelled, just as a huge disc of death spun from the trees behind them. Gohan saw the spinning sword clearly; his eyes being used to high speed combat. He had just enough time to grab Sakura and Naruto and throw them to the ground as Kakashi handled Tazuna and Sasuke.

The spinning blade slammed and stuck in a tree. Gohan picked himself up, snapping into a stance, ready to do battle with the shirtless figure now standing on the long hilt of the sword. The man was glaring back over his shoulder at them with flinty eyes and, though the bandages on the lower half of his face obscured it, a malicious blood-thirsty sneer.

'Just who is this guy?' Gohan wondered. His ki was fearsome, pressing around them like an unseen blanket. A hard hand on his shoulder made him look up at the owner. Kakashi glared down at him, his hirai-ate in the proper position, revealing his left eye. That side of his face had a vicious scar that ran vertically from his hairline down to the edge of the mask, but that was nothing compared to the eye itself. It was a vivid crimson, with three comma-like dots etched into the iris.

"Gohan," Kakashi rumbled, his personality doing a complete 180 from what it had been. This was the true Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi the former ANBU captain, who'd been in the shinobi world since he was a young child. "No. Let me handle this. Go protect Tazuna with the others."

"R-right." Gohan agreed, knowing that this was not the time to be arguing with the jounin, sprinted the distance to the bridge builder, taking up a position with the other three to keep this guy at bay. Between the four kids, they had every possible approach covered.

Cruel laughter floated over the break in the trees where the group was. They were on a dirt path that led to a small lake. The source of the laughing was the man on the sword.

"Hatake Kakashi. The infamous Copy Ninja. You're listed in the Mist Bingo Book as a wanted criminal." The bandages around the lower half of the man's face stretched and warped as the man grinned even bigger. He knelt on the sword's handle as easily as if he was on a sidewalk. He grabbed the handle, bracing his foot on the tree before pushing off and blurring out of sight. A disembodied voice drifted from the forest around them. "Kakashi, I'm going to enjoy killing you." The chilling statement was accompanied by another bout of chilling laughter.

"What the hell's going on here?" Naruto whispered to no one in particular.

"Momochi Zabuza, a missing-nin from the Mist village. They want him for an attempted coup de tat on the Mizukage. It failed and Zabuza was force to take a few loyal followers and flee. He's been on the run ever since." Kakashi answered, mismatched eyes scanning everywhere as an eerie mist began to roll in on the area.

Gohan felt his heart pounding like a drum against his ribs. He felt apprehensive about this, thrown into a battle that wasn't his, but his father and Piccolo would kill him if they ever found out that he could have made a difference and done nothing. A quick sweep with his senses had revealed nothing. Zabuza, it appeared, was just as adept at concealing ki as Piccolo or Cell were. It would be tough to pick him out when the missing-nin didn't want to be found. This mist wasn't helping matters any. Gohan couldn't see all that well, which meant his reaction time would be severely limited. That was obviously the point of this technique.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi's sharp voice startled every one as the mist began to blow away, coinciding with a sharp spike in Kakashi's ki that hit Gohan like a hammer. Clearly the masked shinobi was more skilled than he let on. The silver haired man continued, "Calm down. I will not allow my comrades to die. That is absolute." Sasuke was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Gohan figured that Kakashi had picked up on the boy's discomfort, even as he tried to locate their enemy. Shinobi, it appeared, had excellent situational awareness. Gohan would have to remember that in the future.

"Too bad you'll have to break that promise, Kakashi," said a familiar voice from the center of the genin's defensive formation. There were shouts of surprise and shock from the three green warriors, but both Gohan and Kakashi whirled, trying to the find a way to help Tazuna. To the young Saiyan's eyes, Kakashi appeared paralyzed, just staring at them helplessly.

Zabuza swung his giant meat cleaver and bisected Tazuna at the chest. Gohan's eyes widened in horror as the two halves of the old man sprayed blood everywhere and thudded to the ground. Something splattered against Gohan's cheek and the half-Saiyan touched it with a trembling hand. He got a surprise, though, when he looked at it.

"Water?" he murmured, wondering how water had splashed him.

"What did you say?" Zabuza asked, having heard the young guardian's voice. "Did you say…"

"Water?" A third voice interrupted as cold steel touched Zabuza's neck. "Yes, he did."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura shouted together. Somehow, Kakashi had managed to substitute Tazuna with a Mizu Bunshin, hiding the real bridge builder safe in the brush of the forest-ringed lake. The real Tazuna scrambled out of some bushes a moment later.

A mirthless laugh split the chill misty air. Zabuza apparently found the fact that he was being held at knifepoint highly amusing. Kakashi held the kunai a little closer to the Mist-nin's neck

"What's so funny?" the Leaf jounin growled out. His Mist counterpart's laughter just redoubled, his sides shaking from it.

"You, Hatake." The other ninja gasped out. "You actually think that I'm real." With that, the man dissolved into nothing more than a splash of water.

'A Bunshin?' Kakashi yelled at himself, not believing that he'd fallen for such a simple trick. He hesitated for but a half-second, but it was enough.

"LOOK OUT!" Sakura's yell came too late. Zabuza was already behind him, swinging his sword. Kakashi had to act and he had to act fast! His gloved hands flew together, making a seal for a jutsu that he hoped would be able help him survive.

Zabuza's sword slashed Kakashi in half, and everyone had a look of horror, just before the blood and body parts turned into a spray of water that drenched the four kids at the scene.

"Another clone?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded. So this was what it was like to be involved in a battle with a real ninja? The blond suddenly realized that he had no place in this clash, and that thought scared the crap out of him.

Meanwhile, Kakashi burst out of the surface of the lake with a gasp, having made a successful getaway, but instantly realized that something wasn't right here. The water was dense, as if it was a solid and not liquid.

'Not good!' Kakashi thought desperately as a shadow fell over him. He twisted around the best he could and saw Zabuza looming over him, hands flying together to use a jutsu. His bandages warped as an insane grin lit up his features. This time, the grin was large enough to cause a gap in the wrappings and allowed Kakashi a glimpse of his mouth, complete with teeth filed to points. Clearly he took his name as the 'Demon of the Mist Village' very seriously.

"Suirou no Justu." Kakashi's mind went blank as he was enveloped in a bubble of chakra-enhanced water. This was definitely not good. How was he going to protect his squad and Tazuna in this condition? Oh well, at least Zabuza had to keep contact with the water prison to keep it active. Then the masked shinobi caught sight of a column of water that rose up to man height and began to take on a shape. Crap. This was about to get worse.

Gohan watched in horror as the water took on the shape of another Zabuza. One was bad enough, but two!? Come on! This was almost as unfair as Cell's regeneration ability! The situation was bad enough, what with Kakashi being trapped in that freaky bubble of water. It looked as though the original Zabuza had to be in constant contact with the bubble or the technique would dissipate, if the arm he had lodged in the bubble was anything to go by. Well, that made him an easy target for a ki attack! Gohan slipped into a familiar stance, cupping his hands at his side, the heels of his hands touching. No one noticed what the young Saiyan was up to, all attention being either on Kakashi or Tazuna, depending on which side you were on.

"Ka…me…ha…me…" He whispered softly, not wanting to draw Zabuza's attention to him. It wouldn't matter when the Kamehameha actually formed, but until then, best to remain as insignificant as possible.

"RUN!" Kakashi's yell stopped any thought of retaliation from all the children's minds. "This was over the moment I got caught! Take Tazuna and go! His water clone can only go so far!"

"Yeah right! And leave you here!?" Naruto shouted in return. "I'm not gonna let that happen!" The others nodded in agreement. Kakashi wanted to pull his hair out. These kids were going to be the death of him! Well, except for Gohan. The feel the kid was giving off at the moment just didn't compare to what the others looked like. His squad looked scared. His Sharingan could just pick up the trembling knees in all three of the genins. Gohan, on the other hand, had no shake whatsoever, as if he'd been down this road enough to not be afraid of confronting an enemy who was stronger than him.

"Dammit, Naruto! Just do what I say!" Kakashi's yell froze everyone solid. The masked jounin hardly ever yelled, much less swore, so to hear him doing it now made it even more shocking. "Take Tazuna and go! Complete the mission!"

"NO!" Naruto's defiant yell came as no surprise to anyone. "What about what you told us, huh!? You told us that if you abandon your friends you're worse than trash!" Gohan was watching the kid as if he'd never seen him before. This kid would be a great man. That was apparent to the slightly older child. Naruto would be in the same league as people like Piccolo and his dad. The club for people who could lay down their life for their friends and not think twice about it. The blonde's bright blue eyes blazed as he whipped out a kunai. "I'm gonna save him!"

Gohan's hand shot out and snagged the other kid by the scruff of his blazing orange jacket. A flick of his wrist had Naruto flying backward to a hard landing flat on his back.

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura's startled voice fell on deaf ears as the protector of the world stepped forward, moving to stand in front of the three genins and Tazuna.

The Zabuza clone began to laugh. "What's this? A kid who thinks he can take me on? Are you delusional kid?"

"You've lost it." Sasuke said in a low monotone. "You'll be killed. He's a jounin and you're just a kid with no obvious shinobi talent. Give up."

"Sasuke." Gohan said without turning around. "You don't know what I'm capable of. Just let me do this and don't interfere."

"Gohan-kun?" Now Sakura's voice held a note of question in it, as if she was seeing him for the first time. What was the other boy planning? Gohan felt nothing but the supreme confidence of a saiyan warrior. Now they would all see what he could do.

The water clone grabbed its sword and swung it off its back, waving it experimentally. The Bunshin grinned. This would be fun!

"GOHAN! NO! YOU CAN'T WIN!" Kakashi screamed as loud as he could. This kid was brave and resourceful, that much was obvious, but Kakashi had yet to see the newcomer use any type of genjutsu, taijutsu, or ninjutsu. Zabuza would slaughter him, even with a clone that had only twenty-five percent of his full strength.

"No. You're wrong. I _can_ win." Though Gohan said it softly, it was heard as clearly as it would have been had he shouted it. The young half-saiyan could feel his heart beginning to pound at the prospect of a fight, as it always did. It was the heritage that flowed through his veins. Saiyans lived to fight, and Gohan, though he didn't enjoy it, was no different. Perhaps he didn't like the thought of hurting anyone, but he didn't mind matching his power with someone else in the ultimate test of survival.

Gohan tensed, digging deep within himself to pull at his ki. To everyone's surprise, the air around the Super Saiyan began to ripple, as if the kid was giving off a great heat.

"HAAAAAAAAA!!" Gohan's war cry split the sky and the ground underneath his feet began to crack, as if the earth itself could no longer support the weight of his power crushing down on it.

'What the hell?' Kakashi thought, 'Gohan's chakra just went through the roof! Who knew that that kid had so much! He's at least as strong and Zabuza and me!' Kakashi's mismatched eyes widened in shock a moment later as a blue flame-like aura burst into existence around the teen's body, surging wildly from the constant increase in Gohan's power level.

The three genin could only watch in horrified fascination as their new friend's chakra did amazing things to the environment around him. Trees were bending backward, as if the giants wanted to be nowhere near the power that this mere kid was giving off. The cracked earth beneath his feet split again and gave way even more, making jagged spikes of rock. Gohan tensed once more before letting out an even louder yell than before. His chakra reacted in kind, blasting out from him and kicking up a wall of topsoil, small pebbles and made the lake on which Zabuza had Kakashi trapped writhe as if in a hurricane. Silence followed the roaring wind, and when the smoke finally cleared, Gohan stood there, bathed in the blue aura. Slowly, it began to fade and flicker, before it popped out of existence with a pulse of static electricity.

"I will say it once." Gohan said with more seriousness than he felt. He knew the thing in front of him was just a clone and he had no problem killing a copy. What did make him apprehensive was killing a human. Cell had been anything but, so Gohan's hands were still clean of any blood. Zabuza, on the other hand, was human. The young saiyan really didn't want to kill a human. "Let Kakashi go." Hard onyx eyes bored straight at the real Demon of the Hidden Mist, making the man shudder slightly.

"G-Gohan-kun?" Sakura couldn't believe what had happened just now. Gohan had released some enormous energy, so much so that it was visible to the naked eye. Was…Was this who he really was? Everything looked pretty tame now, but the aftermath of the release of chakra was still around, the abused ground beneath his feet, the windswept earth, and more than one blown over tree. Even the lake was still rippling from the force of the energy the new guy had let out.

"Sakura. You, Naruto and Sasuke protect Tazuna-san. I can handle this guy by myself," Gohan said with a dangerous voice. "Things are about to get ugly around here and I don't want to hurt some new friends of mine." Laughter met the saiyan's words.

"Yeah right. A little squirt like you is gonna handle me single handedly!? Don't underestimate me!" Zabuza's clone yelled before it sprinted straight for Gohan, who had his hands relaxed at his sides. The Mizu Bunshin leapt high into the air, his zanbatou cocked back to strike. Gohan did nothing as the sword came straight down, striking the ground with enough force to kick up a debris cloud.

"GOHAN!" Sakura screamed as Naruto and Sasuke just watched with horrified eyes. This Zabuza guy really didn't like to kid around! He'd just killed a thirteen-year-old boy without a second thought!

"Too bad, Kakashi." The real Zabuza said to the imprisoned Leaf-nin. "That kid really had some spunk. Shame he couldn't play longer." Kakashi only glared at the sadist Mist-nin, vowing to get out of this thrice-damned prison and make the bastard pay. No matter what it took, Momochi Zabuza would die!

The clone shouldered his sword. "Now." He said. "Who should I kill next?" The four that he had his sights set on gulped, trying to figure out a way to get rid of this annoying jutsu. A voice halted any plan that they might have come up with.

"You haven't killed anyone yet." The clone's eyes widened when he felt his sword rock a little. Its head snapped around and saw Son Gohan, in one piece and without a scratch, standing lightly on the edge of his blade as if it was a thing he did all the time.

Ignoring the cries of relief from Sakura and admiring whoops from Naruto, Gohan simply disappeared. Shocked looks passed between everyone at the sudden vanishing act. The clone didn't even have time to form a question before a fist slammed into his gut with enough force to split a mountain. Water sprayed everywhere as Gohan lowered his hand and turned to glare at Zabuza.

"One more time." He called to the Mist shinobi. "Let Kakashi go!" This time he actually got a reaction out of his enemy. Zabuza did what Gohan told him and pulled his arm out of the bubble that held Kakashi hostage. Except, instead of retreating as Gohan hoped, he charged straight for him like a runaway bull, Kakashi hot on his heels, trying to catch the other shinobi before he could get to Gohan. Sure the kid could handle a clone, but this was the real…

Zabuza made it to the half-saiyan and swung his sword in a flat arc! Damn! Kakashi was too late!

Gohan saw the sword incoming and casually raised a hand, palm out, to intercept the swing.

"Gohan-kun! NO! He'll slice your hand off!" Sakura yelled at the top of her lungs, trying to get the fourth teen in their group to at least _dodge_. Zabuza's sword made contact…with a ball of ki that formed in the saiyan hybrid's hand.

"Impossible!" Zabuza shouted, bloodshot eyes wide, shocked that the boy had been able to channel chakra without the need for hand seals, and what's more, made the chakra visible and dense enough to stop a sword! Such a thing was unheard of!

Gohan made the ki go critical and explode, sending Zabuza's sword spinning out over the lake and sent the man wielding it flying backward. He didn't get very far, because the Z fighter grabbed his arm and pulled the older warrior into a vicious knee strike.

Zabuza felt the blow and saw stars as the wind was knocked out of him. He didn't get any time for a reprieve, though, because the kid followed up with a left back fist, spinning to add momentum and force to the strike. The missing-nin was sent screaming away, flying just a few feet from the ground, out over the lake and ripping an ice-white wake in his path because of the air his body displaced.

"No…Way." For once, Naruto was at a loss for words as a geyser of dirt erupted on the far side of the tiny lake the group had turned into a battlefield. Before the debris could settle, Zabuza tore from the cloud, sprinting across the water at Gohan intent on finishing him off, sword or no sword. Gohan let out a short kiai, his weird blue aura blasting into existence before he blazed off across the surface of the lake like a comet, speeding to a collision with his opponent.

"Now he can _fly_!?" Sakura yelled, holding her head. Seriously, how many amazing abilities was this kid about to pull out of his ass!?

"It would appear so." Kakashi said as he walked over to them, pulling his hirai-ate into its usual place, seeing no need to help Gohan. "And it also seems that our new friend Gohan has some rather unusual abilities that are at once similar to, and completely different from, what we're used to." A massive explosion of water sprayed up into the air, from which Zabuza emerged, tumbling like a rag doll, followed closely by a blue comet that could only be Gohan, both fighters streaking high into the air.

"It still doesn't explain_ how_ he does it." Sasuke stated bluntly, trying to keep the burning jealousy out of his voice. How had Gohan done it? What were his methods? And just how in the_ hell_ could he knock a jounin around like he was nothing!?

A condensation bubble erupted above them as Gohan hit Zabuza with a punch that exceeded the speed of sound, sending him screaming down from a few thousand feet up. Before he could impact, though, Gohan disappeared from sight up above and reappeared floating a few feet above the ground, unleashing a brutal roundhouse kick that connected soundly with Zabuza's ribs and sent the helpless man speeding off in another direction.

Zabuza finally managed to get his feet underneath him, despite the pain that surged through every inch of his body. As he skidded backward along the shoreline of the lake, he began making hand seals, hoping to buy himself a little breathing room.

Gohan was blazing toward the Mist-nin, drawing back for a punch that would probably knock Zabuza's head off if it connected. His fist rammed headlong into Zabuza's cranium. Which promptly exploded into a spray of water.

'Another of those water clone things!' Gohan realized, looking for the real man. A ki spike made him whirl and look out to the middle of the lake, where Zabuza stood, making seal after seal.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" Zabuza yelled as the water around him writhed and shot into the air a lot like Shenlong did when the Z fighters used the Dragon Balls to summon him, only it was made completely out of water. The water took on a dragon shape and locked its yellow eyes onto Gohan before letting out a shrieking roar and diving towards him.

"LOOK OUT!" All the spectators cried as the jutsu closed the distance. That was a very high rank jutsu and one that Gohan probably wouldn't be able to withstand. But, once again, Gohan displayed a weird way of thinking when he lowered himself into a stance and cupped his hands at his side once again. This time, everyone saw what he was doing, and heard what he was saying.

"Ka…me…ha…me…." He held the last syllable as a blue-white orb of ki burst into existence in between his cupped hands and began to shine with the intensity of a star, so much so that the people watching had to advert their eyes or risk being blinded.

Gohan stared down the dragon as it closed on him, fast. Finally it was at the range that it wouldn't be able to dodge. The star in his hands glowed just a little bit brighter, it distinctive high-pitched pulsing noise becoming even louder.

"HAAAAA!!" He shoved his hands forward and released the ki. A giant ball of blue energy, almost as large as Gohan himself, erupted from his cupped hands and blazed toward the dragon. The two techniques hit each other with full force and the dragon was blown apart by the overwhelming might of the Kamehameha. The attack lanced out over the water, throwing up walls of water on either side as it raced for Zabuza.

The criminal shinobi's eyes widened as the powerful light given off by the attack illuminated him, and then he was lost from view as the river of pure energy engulfed him.

"Get down!" Kakashi yelled, tackling his students to the ground as the Kamehameha exploded with enough force to make the ground jump then slam into them. They were enveloped by a hail of dirt, hurricane winds and rock a second later as Gohan's immense strike expended the last of its energy. Then the light began to fade and the debris shower subsided.

Finally, Kakashi felt secure enough to let his charges up. When they got their first look at the scene, their jaws dropped. Gohan was striding towards them with a massive crater and a billowing pillar of smoke as his backdrop. The young half-saiyan stopped and looked down at them before grinning sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Whoops. Sorry. I think I over did it a little. My control isn't as good as it used to be." The others just looked at him with unbelieving expressions, as if they had never seen a thirteen-year-old go toe to toe with a dangerous shinobi, kick his ass, and then finish the fight by vaporizing a lake and replacing it with a huge smoking crater. Gohan laughed nervously. "I guess I have some explaining to do, huh?"

"Just a little," Kakashi agreed before he stood and helped Tazuna up. "But it can wait until we get to Tazuna's village. Let's get their first and then we can decide what to do from there."

"Right." The four kids chorused and resumed their trek to the bridge builder's village.

On the other side of the column of smoke, a ornately dressed person who wore an equally ornate porcelain mask, supported a heavily injured and unresponsive Zabuza on his shoulder. He'd managed to rescue the missing-nin just before the elder shinobi could be vaporized by the unusual chakra attack from one of the Copy-Nin's students. Now Haku's first priority was to get his master to their hideout, provided for them by the corrupt business man who ran this entire country, and get Zabuza-san back on his feet in time to strike at the bridge builder before his masterpiece could be completed.

Haku made a weird hand seal and vanished in a swirl of wind and ice shards.

Finally, Team Seven made it to their destination with all members in one piece. Tazuna seemed to become a different man, walking with a spring in his step and greeting everyone he knew, although, the warriors of the group couldn't help but notice that the elderly man kept flicking a nervous glance at the bridge, fully visible now that the morning mist had dissipated. Eventually, the group arrived at a run-down shack that sat on a pier that stretched out over the water.

"Home sweet home!" Tazuna announced brightly before rushing inside. A squeal sounded almost the moment he walked in the door. When Team Seven entered, they saw Tazuna being hugged tightly by a much younger woman.

"Ah! May I introduce my daughter Tsunami?" The carpenter said with a distinct note of pride in her voice. Tsunami was a very pretty woman in her mid to late twenties. Like everyone in this little town, though, she was dressed in rough, homespun clothes that denoted a hard and unforgiving existence.

"Thank you for protecting my father. I'm sorry we had to lie about the mission statement." She said with a traditional bow.

"Don't worry about it, Tsunami-san." Kakashi said easily. "We've already been informed of the error and have decided to continue with the mission regardless." Tsunami bowed again before bustling off to get a dinner ready for her weary father and their guests. Seeing the woman occupied and Tazuna disappearing out the front door, Kakashi decided that it would be a good time to discuss some things with his students and visitor.

"Come on you four," he said. "We have some talking to do." The four shinobi dropped their backpacks in the guest room that Tazuna had given to them and then all the warriors left the house and followed Kakashi deep into the woods. It was close to a half hour before they finally stopped in a clearing that was ringed by redwoods just as big as the ones back in Fire Country.

"Okay. Now, Gohan, tell us just what the hell you did back there." The masked jounin said without preamble. He'd decided when they arrived here that he would take this matter straight to the source. Gohan shrugged,

"I didn't do anything that amazing. All I did was use some simple ki attacks." Utter silence followed his words. "What?"

"You can use ki?" Sasuke asked, trying to keep the jealousy from his voice. "That's impossible."

"Hey," Naruto said, clearly lost. He had his squint face on. "What's ki? It sounds a lot like chakra." Everyone else sighed, exasperated by the boy's thick skull.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, too lazy to explain things himself to the blond. Maybe they should get Naruto checked for ADHD. "Care to explain?"

"Sure. Okay Naruto, listen up because I'm only gonna go over this once. You what stamina is right?" Naruto nodded. "Good. The body possesses two types of energy, stamina, which our body uses whenever we do something strenuous like running. The second type of energy is spiritual energy, also known as ki or chi. Chakra is made by mixing both stamina and ki together and then using it for various jutsu through the use of hand seals. Follow me so far?"

"Yes!" The blond said, a hint of annoyance in his tone. "So Gohan uses chakra. What's the big deal?" A vein bulged out of Sakura's forehead.

"NO, YOU IDIOT! Gohan uses _KI_ not chakra. It's two completely different things! Ki can also be called life energy! Using ki is a lot more dangerous than using chakra, because whenever you use a jutsu, essentially you are using part of your life force." The kunoichi raised a threatening fist. "Get it?" Naruto patted the air in a gesture of submission as Sakura's shadow loomed over him.

"Got it."

"Ki, despite the dangers of overuse, is also much stronger than chakra because ki is not mixed with stamina. It also has an advantage in that the user is not required to use hand seals." Kakashi added. "However, the drawback is that overuse results in death, and that the variety of techniques available to the user is very limited. Really the only difference between some of the ki techniques is the power that they possess."

"Overuse doesn't necessarily result in death." Gohan interrupted. "You have to _willingly_ tap into your life force to use it. Ki, on the other hand, is the latent power within the body. Everyone has it, it's just a matter of finding and tapping it."

"So, what you're saying is that I could use ki?" Sasuke asked, trying to be nonchalant about it. This could be the key to killing Itachi! Kakashi was the one with the answer,

"No. Shinobi cannot use ki." At the puzzled looks he got, he continued. "Look at it this way, when you are first learning a technique, you practice and practice until the technique becomes second nature, right?" The four teens nodded, hanging on his every word. Kakashi continued,

"To unlearn what you have already become accustomed to is very difficult, and almost impossible. It is the same with ki and chakra. Before you became shinobi, you had the potential to use both ki and chakra. Now that you have been using chakra for a few years, your body has adapted to it. To learn to use ki now would be next to impossible. It goes the same way for a ki-user as well. Gohan here wouldn't be able to use a simple Bunshin jutsu, just as we wouldn't be able to use that technique that he used against Zabuza."

"So what happens to the ki we don't use?" Sakura asked, wondering what happened to all that unused energy.

"We shinobi haven't really been able to figure that out yet." Kakashi answered. "But the current hypothesis from many of the top medic-nins is that, over time, ki gradually develops into chakra reserves. Once all that ki has turned to chakra, you hit a glass ceiling and cannot become any stronger."

"So then how long do we have until we can't go any higher?" Sasuke asked. If this ki stuff ran out now he wouldn't be able to kill Itachi!

"It's only a theory and right now most of the evidence is speculation, but most of the experts say that the conversion rate is very very slow. It could take more than a lifetime for all of it to convert."

"Ki is also in great abundance." Gohan added. "Some of it is apparent right from the start, but most of the ki is hidden deep with in a person as hidden potential. Once they tap that potential, they can become exponentially stronger. I doubt that most shinobi use up all their potential in one life." Kakashi nodded in agreement. He noticed that they had been talking for so long that it was twilight.

"Time to go back." He said, standing up from the log he'd been sitting on. "We have some training to do tomorrow."

"Why, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. "Gohan killed Zabuza didn't he?" The masked jounin sighed. These kids still had a lot to learn.

"I doubt it. Zabuza is one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. He won't die that easily. Besides, it's better to be safe than sorry right? Now come on. I'm hungry." His tone left no room for argument and the four teenagers followed after the Copy-nin.

* * *

And chapter two is finished. Read and review!

**Glossary:**

**Mizu Bunshin no Justu (Water Clone Technique/Skill)**: The Mist's version of Kage Bunshin. Creates a clone out of water that is capable of attacking. Inferior to Kage Bunshin because it can only go so far from the creator, has only one quarter of the orginal's power, as opposed to half, and needs a source of water nearby for creation, unless the user happens to be the Nidaime Hokage.


	3. Training

Disclaimer: Jeeze these disclaimer things are a pain...Well, if you don't get it yet, I own nothing.

Last time: Gohan beats the crap out of Zabuza and Kakashi and Gohan try to explain the difference between ki and chakra.

This time: Training and the battle gets ready to begin anew.

Okay, one quick thing before the start of the chapter, it has been suggested that I pair up Gohan with one of the kunoichi like Ino or Tenten. Personally, I lean towards Tenten. Let me know if you would like a GohanTenten, GohanSome other kunoichi or no pairing at all.

* * *

Gohan awoke and noticed that it was still dark outside. He tried uselessly to fall back to sleep for close to half an hour before realizing that it was useless.

'Great. Up before the sun is. I _hate_ getting up early,' he groaned to himself before grabbing his capsule case and heading for the door, deciding that he might as well train if he was going to be up this early. He arrived in the clearing that the five warriors had been talking at yesterday (or was it still today?) and pulled out the capsule with his cape in it.

He pulled the white garment on and shrugged a little. The thing felt a little light for him. Gohan would have to up the weight sooner or later. Maybe Konoha had a weight shop he could look at. If he got money to by some weights with that is. The young saiyan stretched out and began to run through some basic exercises as a warm-up. It didn't take long before he was bouncing all over the clearing, nothing more than a blur, locked in combat with enemies only he could see.

Kakashi was the next to wake up, though much later than Gohan had. The sun was bathing the room in a gentle golden light. Then he noticed that Gohan's sleeping bag was empty.

'Odd. Where'd he go? I thought teenagers liked to sleep in.' Still pondering the mystery, he entered the modest kitchen that seemed to double as a kitchen and family room for the less than rich Tazuna household. The lanky jounin was surprised to see Tsunami was up as well, getting breakfast ready for her guests.

"You know you don't have to do that," he said, startling the young woman, who clearly had not heard his entry.

"Oh! Kakashi-san! You scared me!" She exclaimed, one hand over her heart. "It's okay though, I don't mind cooking for you."

"I wasn't talking about that," Hatake answered. He swept one hand around the room, indicating the bare pantries and cabinets. "I meant that you have so little. It would be rude for us to eat you out of house and home when you have barely enough for yourselves, much less three growing teens."

Tsunami shook her head forcefully. "I don't mind," she repeated, "really I don't. It may be rude to eat up our food, but it would be even more shameful for me to allow you a room without any meals!" Kakashi could see that the young woman was adamant about this and there would be no use in further pressing the argument.

"Suit yourself," he answered with a shrug. "I'm gonna go and see if I can't find Gohan."

"Is he missing?"

"Hardly. I can feel his presence on the other side of the village. I just want to make sure that he's okay. When the other three decide to get up, tell them to come to the clearing where we were at yesterday. They'll know where to go." He left and Tsunami busied herself with the kettle that sat on the meager wood-burning stove.

When the jounin found him, Gohan was floating some ways up, locked in a sparring match with no one. Kakashi was amazed at the boy's abilities. He was even faster than he'd let on during his battle with, no, more like pounding, of Zabuza. The young saiyan was punching faster than anyone Kakashi had ever seen, excluding Arashi-sensei of course. The jounin just couldn't bring himself to admit that the Yondaime Hokage was human. Something about that blond haired man had seemed so…godlike. He'd always given off an aura of being able to handle any situation and defeat any foe. It had been that presence that had kept many a shinobi from fleeing when the Kyuubi had come to decimate the village.

Finally, Gohan's furious movements slowed to the point of being visible, then stopped all together. Sweat soaked the boy's face and gi. Kakashi made a mental note to chuck him into the ocean if he didn't jump in himself. No way would the jounin have a member of his team reeking like a hippo on a humid day.

Gohan was exhausted. He'd been going nonstop since he'd woken up and he was _beat_! Now would be the time to go back and get breakfast, take a dip in the ocean to get this stench off of him, and then see what Kakashi had planned for the group that day.

"Very impressive." Speak of the devil, there was Kakashi now. "No wonder you were able to go toe-to-toe with Zabuza. How'd you get so fast?"

Gohan grinned. "Piccolo-sensei wasn't exactly gentle when he was training me. Dad didn't take it easy on me either."

"Really? So you've been trained by two people?"

"Yeah. And there's nothing like it, lemme tell you. Both of them didn't hold back or pull any punches." The kid stripped off his cape and tossed it out to the side. Kakashi's hidden jaw dropped when the clothing made the ground crack just from hitting. Man, if Gai got his hands on this kid…Kakashi didn't even want to think about it. Still, maybe Gohan would be able to give that little protégé of his a run for his money. Maybe Team Seven would have to 'bump into' Team Gai during a training session. The scarecrow grinned a little impishly.

Gohan pulled out a little pill-looking thing and hit something on one end before tossing it at the cape. It hit and there was a small explosion and when the smoke cleared, the cape was nowhere to be found, the only evidence of it being there was the abused ground where the heavy thing had landed.

"What is that?" Kakashi asked as the young saiyan picked up the pill. He held it out to Hatake who took it and turned it around in his hand. It was rather plain, just white with a red band running around the middle and a number on it. It didn't look like anything special, nor was there evidence of a heavy cape hidden inside.

"Their called Dynacaps or just Capsules. A friend of mine invented them. You can hold just about anything in them, from some clothes to a whole reservoir, if you really wanted the water. Most people put houses or something inside of them and then go camping."

Kakashi whistled gently, hardly believing what this kid was telling him, even if he'd seen it with his own one eye. "I assume that little tray thing has more?"

"Yep."

"What do you have in there?"

"Um…" Gohan pulled out the tray and began looking at the capsules, comparing the numbers with a little card at the top, which told him what was in each capsule. "I've got my training gear, a fully stocked refrigerator, some books to read in my spare time, and…one empty one."

"Could you put people inside of one?" Kakashi hoped he sounded nonchalant about it. Wouldn't it be nice? Whenever his team needed a time out, just shove 'em in a capsule!

"Nope." Damn, so much for that idea. "My little brother Goten got mad at me one time and tried to do that to me. It didn't work, which just made him even angrier." Gohan smiled at the memory, remembering how his mom had yelled at Goten for trying to stuff Gohan in a capsule and for disturbing his big brother's studies. The younger half-saiyan hadn't been able to sit down without flinching for close to a week.

"Kakashi." Sasuke's voice cut off the conversation the two seasoned warriors were having. They turned around and saw the other three members of their little team standing behind them. "We're here. Now what did you want?" Gohan thought that Sasuke sounded a little _too_ demanding to be talking to a superior that way, but somehow the saiyan didn't think that Kakashi would care too much.

"We're gonna do some training today, Sasuke." Kakashi replied, seemingly ignoring the raven-haired Uchiha's rudeness, flipping the capsule back to Gohan, who caught it and put it away.

"So what's this training we're gonna be doing, Sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi scratched his mask, making a show of thinking about it.

"Well, I thought we'd do something fun today." Gohan noted how all of the genin seemed to shudder at that phrase. The young half-saiyan couldn't help but wonder why. Kakashi couldn't be nearly as demanding as Piccolo had been…Right?

Hatake threw a hand out behind him, as if he was a game show host unveiling the grand prize. "We're going to do a little tree climbing." One Son Gohan couldn't help but notice that the three genin's reactions were a little underwhelming.

"Could…you repeat that?" Sakura deadpanned, unsure if she'd heard Kakashi-sensei right. Did he seriously want them to climb trees?

"How is tree climbing training?" Naruto asked, voicing the thoughts of everyone there.

"Oh!" Kakashi sounded as if he'd remembered just why it was training, but none of the teens in the group believed that for a second. "You seem to be thinking that you'll be allowed to use your hands for this training! Sorry, I guess I forgot to mention that little fact. No hands allowed."

"Uh…No hands?" Naruto asked with a squint face. "Then how the hell are we supposed to climb the tree?" The other two nodded with his assessment.

"You use chakra. Shinobi generally regard the feet as the hardest place to channel chakra, even more so since the feet are usually covered by sandals. Thus it is that much harder because you have to force chakra through the rubber. Of course, it varies from person to person, but I guarantee that all three of you will fall at least once." With that, the masked jounin faced the tree behind him and proceeded to walk straight at it. When he got to it, Kakashi just kept walking, straight up the ancient giant, never once breaking stride, and finally reached the lowest branch, some ninety feet over their heads. The four teens gaped at the ease at which their leader had done it.

"Trust me," he called down to them, "this isn't as easy as I make it look. One the plus side, though, when you're done with this and get all the way to the top, your chakra control will be much better and you'll be that much stronger!" Then he dropped three kunai down to the shinobi members of the group and they got to work.

"Kakashi-san, what about me?" Gohan asked as the jounin dropped from his perch above and landed smoothly beside the Z fighter.

"What about you?" He asked in return as he straightened up.

"Well, it doesn't seem fair for them to be training and me just doing nothing." Kakashi looked thoughtful for a moment before he gave Gohan an eye-smile.

"Well, when their done with the training, the three of them are going to go and help Tazuna out at the bridge. I've noticed that he's always a little shorthanded. Why don't you and I go there?"

"But-,"

"If you're worried about those three, don't be. Sasuke and Naruto are both too stubborn to let someone dote on them all the time, and Sakura will be just fine as long as those two are here." The lanky man began to walk off, signaling a close to the conversation and Gohan had to scamper to keep up.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Wave Country, not too far from where Team Seven was busy training, there was a conical hut, suspended between some trees by thick ropes of some kind, and had narrow prison-like windows cut into the exterior.

This was the hideout for Momochi Zabuza.

The Demon of the Mist himself, though, was busy sleeping under the watchful eye of his feminine-looking companion, Haku. The boy had removed his mask, revealing his long hair, which he kept tied up in a traditional bun, though the former hunter-nin had untied it and allowed his hair to spill down his back in a brown waterfall. As for Haku, he too appeared to be asleep, but ask any shinobi who'd been around the block a few times and they'd tell you that Haku wasn't sleeping. What he was doing was more of watching with your eyes closed, using every sense, from hearing to touch, to get a feel for his surroundings.

It was proven true when the double oak doors to the bedroom opened. Though the well-oiled hinges made no sound, Haku's brown eyes flew open in an instant, his left hand, the one away from the door and out of the intruder's line of sight, flashed into a hidden pouch, grabbing some senbon needles. Now the hand withdrew, sliding the thin weapons out of the holster without a sound. Zabuza also woke up, seemingly in a coincidence, but the timing was too good for that. He'd woken up with enough time to throw a kunai, should the need arise, and with this man, that just might be necessary.

"Well, well, well," the new arrival's voice grated on Zabuza's nerves even more than the thought of the brat who'd kicked his ass. Gatou was a short little bastard, complete with pinstriped suit, walking stick, glasses, and hired guns. The Mist-nin conveniently forgot that, right now, _he_ was one of those hired guns. "Never thought I'd see the day when the 'great demon' Zabuza got his ass handed to him by a friggin' _kid_!"

"How'd you know about that?" Zabuza asked, knowing that Haku would've withheld that information in his report.

The businessman laughed, waving his cane, "I got eyes in all the right places."

"There wasn't anyone else at that lake, bastard." The disabled shinobi ground out. "I would've sensed them if there was."

Now Gatou laughed outright. "Whoever said that my eyes were living? Ever hear of cameras? Sheesh. You damn shinobi never really give a crap about technology do you? Always thinking those weird justu of yours will get the job done," the tiny man held up his hands in a helpless gesture as he spoke before leveling his walking stick at Zabuza. "When will ya learn that the ultimate weapon is _money_!? Look, thanks to money, I can afford people like you! _And_ I can bribe fools into doing what I want! No blackmail or evil jutsu needed! Face it. You're _obsolete_!"

"You will not speak to Zabuza-san that way." It was the first time Haku had spoken in the tiny bureaucrat's presence and there was some heat to the kid's cold tone. "If you will not leave now, I will kill you."

"Keh, _you_ kill_ me!?_" Gatou asked, now rounding on Haku. He took a couple of steps forward and reached up with his cane, poking Haku roughly in the cheek a few times. "Like you could!"

Haku's arm flashed and Gatou's cane went flying, shattered into two pieces by the force of the kid's blow. The businessman stumbled backwards, almost tripping, but he bumped into a hard object. Before the tiny man could see what he'd hit, an arm snaked around his neck and a hand on the back of his head pushed forward, forcing Gatou into a choke that had the man turning blue and gurgling for air in a matter of seconds.

"Yes. I could kill you," Haku's breath tickled the side of the man's face, and his voice was low in the short man's ear. Gatou would have even called it sexy if there wasn't an incredible amount of malice just beneath the surface.

"Haku," Zabuza's voice was filled with dark amusement at his student's actions, "release him. We don't need him dead. Yet." The pressure that prevented Gatou from breathing vanished instantly as Haku promptly obeyed his master's command. He didn't get any time to catch his breath as the hunter-nin seized his arm, crunching the bones together, and hurled him to land at the feet of his hired samurai. All three took one terrified look at Haku, who raised some threatening senbon in warning, then fled.

Zabuza watched as his best weapon strode over to the doors and jerked them closed, the only thing betraying his irritation.

"You didn't have to do anything, Haku," the laid up jounin told the icy shinobi. He lifted the covers on his bed, revealing the hidden kunai that he could have killed Gatou with in a heartbeat, had the little idiot given him the chance. The removal of the covers also revealed just how much damage Gohan had done to the Mist-nin. There were bandages over much of Zabuza's bare torso, holding broken ribs and other bones together, most of them bulging from some form of hidden swelling. A massive bruise decorated what little exposed skin was visible, and, just hidden by Zabuza's body, was his right arm, bound up and splinted. Haku had been using what little medical ninjutsu he knew to speed the healing process, but it was still taking time.

The sight of the injuries reminded Haku what he had wanted to ask his master when the man had the time. "Zabuza-san, what are you going to do about the boy who did that to you."

Zabuza looked thoughtful for a minute, then he looked at Haku and told him, "I'm going to let you handle him."

"Me?" His voice betrayed his surprise before he could stop himself.

"Yes. You're so much faster than I am and with you Kekkei Genkai, there's no way that brat will be able to keep up with you. Just get him alone and trap him in your little funhouse." Haku stared off into space, pondering the best way to lure Gohan into a trap. The young hunter-nin knew that it wouldn't be easy, but he'd never failed Zabuza-san before and he wasn't about to start now!

* * *

It was past dark when Sasuke and Naruto dragged themselves back to Tazuna's place. They'd been training ever since Kakashi had put this little test before them, and now both boys were running low on chakra and completely exhausted. The fact that Sakura had managed to make it all the way to the top of the tree on her fourth or fifth try didn't help either of the pair's egos.

"…So my dad uses this technique called the Kaio-ken and beats the big bald guy in a flash. That was when…" Gohan trailed off as the door opened and Naruto and Sasuke lugged each other into the room. He'd been telling the rest of the household, at Sakura and Tsunami's insistence, about his little adventure when Vegeta and Nappa had come to Earth to try and use the Dragonballs to attain immortality. He'd just been at the part when his father, Son Goku, had shown up after training for a year with Kaio-sama, and used the otherworldly guru's training to wipe the floor with Nappa.

"Wow. What happened to you two?" Tazuna asked. "You both look like you got run over by a steamroller."

"I suppose they were _training_ all day." A young voice said derisively. All heads turned to the doorway that led outside and allowed one to go to other parts of the house. Standing in the door was a little kid with a blue and white hat. He had been the one who'd spoke. "Why do you insist on going against Gatou?"

"Because it's what we were contracted to do," Sakura answered, not getting why this boy was acting this way.

"Well then you're all a bunch of dumasses!" Ignoring Tsunami's startled 'Inari!' at his behaviour, he plowed on. "You're all going to die!" With that, he turned around and dashed away, slamming the sliding door to the outside as he did. Everyone looked at Tazuna and Tsunami, who both had saddened expressions.

"Inari. My grandson," Tazuna told them without being asked. "Sorry about that. He's been that way ever since his father died a while back."

"His father?" Kakashi asked simply.

Tazuna nodded, "Yes, but not his biological one. The man Inari called father was a great man named Kaiza who came to us from out of nowhere. My real son-in-law had died a year or two prior, but not before he and Tsunami had Inari."

"Inari never really did get what it meant to die," Tsunami added. "Then my husband showed up and Inari found someone he could rely on and talk to." She smiled wistfully. "After seeing how those two got along, it was only natural that I marry Kaiza and let Inari have a father once again."

"Those were happy times," Tazuna continued with a wistful smile. "Inari idolized his father like every little boy does." He looked at Gohan. "Your father sounds like a great man, and Kaiza was no different. He even built a tree house for the kid."

"I take it something bad happened?" Kakashi asked, picking up on where this conversation was going.

Tazuna scowled. "Gatou. That man moved in and began subjugating us one by one. Before long, all of us were in his pocket. Kaiza was one of the few who openly opposed him. In payback for that defiance, Gatou had Kaiza executed. That stole Inari's light and he's been like this ever since."

"That's a shame," Sakura said sadly. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose your father at such a young age.

"Keh. He's just a spoiled little brat," Naruto said viciously, slumping forward onto the table.

"Naruto! How can you say that?" Sakura asked scandalized.

"Yeah, bastard!" Inari yelled, opening the door again. He'd probably stuck around to see if the shinobi and their weird friend would leave after hearing his story. "What would _you_ know about losing someone!?" That was a mistake. In a heartbeat, Naruto had picked Inari up by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the wall.

"Naruto!" Kakashi snapped, his voice having the edge of a knife. "Stop it! Put him down." He was promptly ignored.

"You think I don't know?" Naruto growled, his voice low and dangerous, his livid face inches from Inari's terrified one. "Get over yourself. You think it's cool to sit around and cry and mope all day!? Get real! Crying won't get you anywhere! Instead of crying, you should get off your ass and actually do something!" Inari grasped the genin's wrists in a feeble attempt to pry them off.

"You don't know what it's like!" Inari repeated. Naruto pushed him harder into the wall. The creaking of stressed wood filled the tiny kitchen. If Naruto wasn't careful, he might push Inari straight through the wall.

"No! I _do_ know! At least you have a family! I'm hated by everyone in my village!" The blond shouted. He let go of the terrified kid, who hit the floor and stayed there, curled up, trying to make himself as small as possible. Naruto turned around, eyes shadowed by his bangs. "I'm going to bed." He jerked the door open and closed it, perhaps much harder than was necessary.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked quietly. The jounin didn't respond right away, and when he did answer it wasn't what they wanted to hear.

"Bed. Now." None of the teens were willing to question him, not with that steel in his voice. They knew that Kakashi was angry with Naruto for what he'd done. The three kids weren't wrong either, but Kakashi wasn't as mad as they thought he was. Truthfully, the silver-haired jounin could understand where Naruto was coming from, probably better than anyone, barring Sasuke, who'd lost his entire clan in the course of one night. Heaving a sigh, the masked man stood and headed for the door that Inari had disappeared out of.

The boy whom Kakashi sought was just outside, sitting on the planks that jutted out over the water, extending the pier on which the tiny hovel sat. The kid gave no sign of moving, even when the door rattled shut. A second later and the despondent child was joined by the masked guy.

"You shouldn't blame Naruto for what he did," Kakashi said, getting straight to the point, not willing to waste time on trying to cheer the little guy up. He could tell from the kid's earlier behavior that that would be a futile effort and waste of both their time. "He probably understands your pain better than anyone."

"He didn't have to be so mean about it," Inari grumbled, sulking.

"No, perhaps not," Kakashi agreed, "but you can't deny that what he said was true, you really won't get anywhere if you don't do anything about the problem." His only visible eye took on a shadowed look. "Most of us on this team can understand you," Inari gave the jounin with a startled look, Kakashi pretended not to notice. "My father was known as the White Fang of Konoha. When I was still a young boy, he committed suicide and left me all alone. Sasuke's entire clan was murdered by his brother in a single night! Naruto's already told you that he never knew his parents and that he's hated by the entire village…"

"He's probably lying," Inari interrupted, returning to his self-pity.

"No. He's not; Naruto really is despised by the whole of Konohagakure. Even when he was barely old enough to walk, the people of the village would beat him to the point of unconsciousness. No one would let him even shop in the stores. He had to get everything he owned from third-hand shops who overcharged him even then."

"So why is he the way he is?" The boy asked, "Why isn't he…" He trailed off, clearly not able to bring himself to admit it.

"Like you?" Kakashi finished, making the moping boy wince. "Well, I imagine that at one point he was. There were times when I would pass him on the street and he looked like a kicked puppy. Sometimes he would just hide in an alley and break down. But I suppose over time he got tired of it and decided to just hold his head high and _go_ for it." Kakashi smiled. Inari didn't know how he knew, but he did. "Naruto just said 'enough' and quit crying. I wouldn't doubt that he hasn't shed a single tear since. On the way here, he got his hand sliced by an enemy's poisoned weapon, but he didn't even blink. He just took out a kunai and stabbed his own hand to let the poison bleed out."

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Inari asked mulishly. So the blond jerk could stab himself, big deal.

"No, but what I hope you will see is that you really don't have it so bad and that, instead of belittling your mom and grandpa, you will find a way to help them." With that, the jounin stood and headed back inside. Inari sat in the chilly breeze for a little longer, then stood and ascended the exterior stairs to his room. He grabbed the picture of his father, torn from the one downstairs, and looked out at the rising moon.

"Father. What would you have done?" He asked to thin air, but the whispering wind coming in off the sea gave no answer.

A week later found everyone but Naruto at the bridge, he and Sasuke having made it to the top of their trees, but Naruto being too exhausted to even consider waking up from his coma-like state. Kakashi had decided to take pity on the boy and had given the blond the day off.

Tazuna had wasted no time in putting the three shinobi and one saiyan to work on the bridge. He made full use of Gohan's unbelievable strength, having the thirteen-year-old moving thousand pound beams and multi-ton slabs of concrete, made the week or two before. Everyone had been amazed at the boy's sheer muscle power and control when he'd lifted a three or four thousand pound slab and set it gently in it's place, where the building crew had promptly attacked it like a hive of bees.

"Gohan-kun, doesn't that hurt?" Sakura asked, not believing her eyes the first time she'd seen it.

The black-haired boy just shrugged. "Not really. All I have to do is up my ki a little bit and I can manage. Besides, it's good training."

"That's the spirit, Gohan," Kakashi said from the railing with an approving nod as he flipped the page in his '_Icha Icha Paradise_' book. He was hit in the head by a metal pipe soon afterward. "That hurt," he said, rubbing the bump on his abused cranium.

"Serves you right!" Sakura yelled, shaking an angry fist in his direction. "All you're doing is reading that stupid book while we do all the work!" She leveled an accusing finger. "How about getting off your lazy butt and _helping_!?"

"But I am," the crafty man answered with an eye smile. "Someone has to supervise." That had brought on a whole new wave of shouting from the pink-haired kunoichi.

* * *

"That's so pathetic," Zabuza to his companion as he watched the interaction up on the bridge from the boat the pair of missing-nins had 'borrowed' from the marina. "Just watching them makes me wanna puke." The jounin hefted his sword onto his back and looked at his stoic partner, whose face was hidden behind his blank porcelain mask. "You ready?"

"Yes Zabuza-san."

"Okay then." He grinned manically, causing the bandages on his face to stretch. "Let's go have some fun!"

* * *

Ah, don't you just hate cliffhangers? Though, if you've read the manga or watched the anime, you know how this turns out, but you never know. I may take this off in a completely new direction. I'm not gonna say here though. . Sorry this took so long, I kinda got sidetracked by obligations at school. College isn't easy, plus I'm writing two other fics at the same time. Oh well. No glossary this time, so R&R! 


	4. Transformation?

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING!!

Last time: The crew meets Inari, who manages to get on Naruto's bad side. That's it really, nothing more than filler.

This time: The entire Chapter is nothing but one big fight scene! Oh, and a plot twist.

* * *

All fun and games stopped on the bridge for the moment as the crew took some time off to return home and eat lunch. Team Seven decided to give some much needed business to the sparse restaurant in town and went there with Tazuna in tow, who had no reservations about helping out his village.

Kakashi scowled when they'd returned from lunch. "Something's not right."

"Huh?" Sakura asked him. "Kakashi-sensei?"

Gohan stepped up beside her, his eyes hardening. "Your right. There's something funny going on around here."

"Let's move, but be careful. Watch each other's backs." The masked jounin cautioned. The fighters moved carefully onto the bridge, each one's eyes and head never ceasing the endless watch.

Sasuke was the one who saw it first, "The hell? What happened to the crane?" Everyone looked around and saw what the raven-haired boy was looking at. The yellow piece of construction machinery was twisted and mangled, as if a giant had taken a hammer and decided to pummel the machine into the ground. The latticed girders of the boom were bent back over the cab section and the end looked like it had been twisted off, leaving nothing but mangled steel behind. The cab itself was a mess of broken glass and electronic hardware.

"The…crane." Tazuna stammered, seeing his vision vanish before his very eyes. The crane had been the one piece of hardware that the group who'd decided to work on the bridge had been able to afford. It had taken a lot of ranting and coercion on Tazuna's part to convince the rental company that letting the poor construction workers have the machine at half the usual rent price wouldn't matter once the lifeline to the mainland was finished. The devastated man took a few steps toward the twisted hulk with his hand up, as if trying to ward off a nightmare.

Gohan caught a blur bound out from behind the wrecked crane and lance for Tazuna. He tensed and fazed out of sight, surprising everyone. Next thing Tazuna knew he'd been knocked over when an invisible _something_ hit him hard, shoving him onto his rear end. He caught a glimpse of Gohan, just before the kid ducked faster than anyone had ever seen and an eerie blur passed inches from the top of his head, ruffling his messy jet-black hair.

All of the warriors present snapped into various fighting stances as a heavy, unnatural mist began to roll in out of nowhere. Soon, Gohan and Tazuna were obscured from the rest of the groups view by the thick vapor. Booming laughter rang out all around the shinobi, which seemed to multiply by the second until it surrounded them.

"Get ready," Kakashi said bracingly as he and two of his genins stood back to back, eyes looking out, trying to pierce the soup that surrounded them.

"Yes," a sinister voice answered. "Get ready. To DIE!" Six shapes shot towards them and no one needed to be told who it was.

"Kakashi! I've got this!" Sasuke yelled as he seized a kunai and blurred from sight. All Sakura caught was each Zabuza getting viciously slashed before the Uchiha reappeared and the clones burst into nothing but puddles. Clapping filled the air as the mist let up some, revealing Haku and Zabuza walking towards them, the amusement on Zabuza's face clear, even through the bandages.

"Kakashi!" Gohan reappeared next to the jounin. "What now?"

The masked man sighed, reaching up and baring his Sharingan to the air. "We have no choice. Gohan, let's go. Sasuke, Sakura, stay here and make sure Tazuna stays safe."

On the other side, Zabuza grinned when he heard Kakashi's orders. "Well well, their playing right into our hands Haku. You know what do."

"Yes, Zabuza-san."

The shinobi guarding the bridge-builder gasped as Haku disappeared.

"What?" Sakura gasped.

"Where?" Sasuke asked, only able to see blurs, unable to make out any significant details. 'Where's he coming from?'

Haku watched his prey as he sprinted in random directions, hoping to throw Gohan off guard. It seemed to be working, as the boy made no effort to track Haku's progress.

'It is clear that he cannot see my movements,' the stoic hunter observed quietly as he continued his random patters. 'Now is the time to strike.' The boy hit the ground and rebounded. Now he was speeding straight at the other fighter's back, who made no effort to see where Haku was coming from. The masked shinobi drew back, all his fingers clustered together, ready for an attack on a vital pressure point that would either kill Gohan or render him an invalid.

His fingers flew forward, aiming for the base of Gohan's neck. Time slowed down and Haku watched in shock as the other teen's head swiveled around and a single dark eye glared him. 'No! He _can_ see me!' There was no time to correct his trajectory or withdraw his strike. He was wide open.

Gohan leaned to the side and seized the shinobi's wrist as he sailed past. The saiyan hybrid jerked the limb and Haku felt a jolt in his stomach as his path went from linear to circular as the other warrior began to spin, adding Haku's redirected momentum to his own centripetal force.

The two genin present at the battle watched in awe as their newest friend leaned so fast he seemed to leave afterimages of himself, right before his hand snapped up and seized at thin air. By the time the genin's brains had processed what their eyes had seen, Gohan had spun once…twice…three times before he released his grip on Haku and sent the hunter-nin flying away.

* * *

Kakashi and Zabuza were shocked when Haku came flying out of nowhere coming from somewhere behind the Copy-nin. Hatake smiled faintly as he realized just who had done the throwing.

'Looks like Gohan and this hunter-nin haven't wasted any time.' Kakashi thought wryly as Haku shifted his weight in mid-air and landed cat-like, skidding off into the mist. Just then, a force passed the two jounin, moving so fast that even the Sharingan had trouble picking it up, and drilling a tunnel straight through the Kirigakure no Jutsu.

* * *

Haku managed to stop his backward progress, screeching to a halt, just feet from the incomplete section of the bridge.

'That was too close. Another few feet and I would have gone over.' His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a rushing noise behind him. 'What?' He managed to turn just in time to catch a glimpse of Gohan, hanging over the water, horizontal, one leg cocked back. The force of the brutal kick made Haku go flying once more into the mist, though this time, he was bouncing the whole way, kicking up debris geysers each time his body hit the unforgiving concrete. The ice-wielding shinobi could barely stand after his painful ride came to a skidding stop. He tried to raise himself up to continue the fight, but it was at a snail's pace.

'I have to turn this around!' The hunter's blood froze solid when he heard slow and deliberate footsteps heading his way. The sound stopped behind him. 'This is it.' Haku realized. 'I'm going to die. I deserved such a fate. He has bested me.'

"I'm going to give you one chance to leave Tazuna alone!" Haku couldn't believe his ears. This warrior, who had thrashed him just as soundly as he'd done to Zabuza-san, was going to show him mercy? Haku smiled, unseen behind his porcelain mask. This could work to his advantage. The hunter's hand, the one not baring most of his weight, began making one-handed seals for his Kekkei Genkai. He could do so much better if he used two hands, but that would tip the enemy off. In the meantime, he needed to stall for time.

"I cannot do that." Gohan was taken off guard by the softness of his opponent's voice. It was soft, almost musical, completely opposite from the harsh tones he'd expected from a partner of Zabuza's.

"Why?" If the young Saiyan could convince this guy to leave peacefully, Gohan wouldn't have to continue to overpower him, which hurt the gentle kid almost as much as it hurt Haku to be on the receiving end.

"I am Zabuza's weapon. I follow his orders to the end, that is why I cannot let the bridge-builder go." Haku's hands continued to flash through one seal after another. It was getting close to completion. Another ten or fifteen seconds at the most. "It cannot be helped. I am a shinobi and shinobi follow orders. I was ordered to kill the bridge-builder and so I shall." The ice-nin's hand landed on the last seal. It was time.

"Just as I was ordered to kill you!" Gohan raised his guard as the temperature of the area he was in dropped dramatically in a matter of seconds. He could tell it was close to freezing, and sure enough, ice began forming. Though, it was forming in sheets floating a few feet off the ground.

'This is one of their jutsu!' Gohan realized, too late, that he'd been caught in a trap. In seconds, the young saiyan was surrounded on all sides by slabs of chakra-enhanced ice.

"What is this?" He shouted, his voice echoing off the hard frozen water.

Haku's answer was just as cold as the solid water surrounding the trapped saiyan. "This is the beginning of your end." He strode forward and touched one of the panels he'd created, entering the ice, becoming _one_ with it. Gohan's eyes widened as the shinobi was swallowed by his own jutsu and didn't reappear in front of him. The Super Saiyan knew that he was in a tight spot, and his suspicions were realized when images of Haku appeared on every slab surrounding him.

"Mirrors," he murmured, now realizing the true purpose of these ice sheets. His voice was too soft for Haku to hear, but the shinobi could still read lips.

"Yes. I can reflect my image on to an mirror I choose." The reflections held up a hand containing senbon needles. "You are fast, but even you cannot keep up with my speed now."

"We'll see about that!" Gohan yelled as he began to sprint for a mirror. If he could just break one down… His eyes went wide as pain seared up his leg, just before the appendage went numb completely and Gohan, without any feeling in his leg, crashed to the ground. He twisted around and let out a shocked gasp when he saw a slim, silver senbon needle sticking out of the middle of his calf. "How?"

"I told you. Your chance of escaping this place…" the Haku reflections held up more needles, "is zero!" The ice shinobi was satisfied when Gohan looked around, apprehension beginning to show in his defiant eyes.

* * *

Kakashi ducked as Zabuza's oversized meat cleaver passed through the space the jounin's head had previously been occupying. He retaliated by whipping out a kunai and slashing for the Mist-nin's throat. Zabuza, for his part, showed surprising dexterity as he followed through with his strike, going behind his back before he brought it up and over, forcing Kakashi to withdraw his attack and parry, pulling out a second kunai to brace against the mass of the weapon. Both men grunted, trying to force the other back. The Konoha shinobi was down on one knee, just before he let out a yell and threw off the zanbatou in a shower of sparks and ringing steel. Both men hopped back trying to get some distance from the other, Zabuza so he could get his balance back, and Kakashi, who was trying to buy himself a little breathing room.

Kakashi's mismatched eyes narrowed as the shadowy outline of his adversary faded due to the thickening mist. 'Damn,' he cursed, 'I really hate that jutsu!' His instincts began screaming at him at that moment and he whirled to see Zabuza in the air above him, massive sword already beginning its descent. A plan to end the match began to form in Hatake's mind and he crouched, waiting until the right moment. When it arrived, he shoulder rolled out of the way, allowing Zabuza's sword to embed itself in the bridge. The missing-nin was forced to focus on pulling out his heavy weapon, which gave Kakashi the opening he'd been looking for. He lunged, whipping out another kunai from his pouch, flipping the blade into a reverse grip before he gave an extra spurt of chakra and flashed past, slicing Zabuza's throat wide open.

The mist demon's eyes went wide with surprise as blood poured from his opened neck like water from a hose, and then he slumped forward over the hilt of his sword. Kakashi gave a satisfied snort as he spun the kunai on one finger and returned it to his pouch. He began walking away, but he hadn't gone more than a few steps before the splash of water made him freeze, as if Haku had caught him in an ice mirror.

'Can't be!' the Copy-nin thought, surprised, as he turned around to see the place where Zabuza's corpse was. Nothing was there but a puddle of water. 'How? He was real! My Sharingan can tell the difference between the original and a Mizu Bunshin!' Hatake couldn't figure out how the man could be a clone, but that was before another realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Kawarimi no Jutsu! That was how he did it! Just before Kakashi had cut his throat, Zabuza had switched places with a water clone he'd previously made! Probably just after the mist thickened.

"Nice try Kakashi!"

The son of the White Fang turned and was just able to catch a glimpse of the zanbatou, right before it sliced through him.

Or at least it tried to. Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw orange. Close to fifteen Kage Bunshins had stopped the sword cold. He had just enough time to think 'No way!' and hear a soft curse from Zabuza, just before the area was enveloped in a massive explosion of shinobi smoke. A loud voice burst from the cloud.

"Have no fear, Uzumaki Naruto is here!"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Zabuza shouted. His fatal attack on Hatake had been thwarted by a loud genin!? "Just who the hell is that kid?"

Kakashi sighed as the smoke cleared, revealing Naruto, dressed and ready for battle, apparently showing no signs of fatigue from his harsh training the night before. "He's Konoha's Number One-Hyperactive-Knucklehead-Ninja," He answered in a tired voice, though, he had to hand it to the loudmouth, the kid had actually saved his life.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto close to shouted as he approached the shinobi with a shit-eating grin on his face and his arms folded behind his head, "did I do good?"

The lazy jounin sighed again. "Yes Naruto," he said in a bored and tired voice. "You did fine." His gaze sharpened and he glared over his shoulder at Zabuza, who stiffened at the sharp gaze of the Sharingan. "Now as for you…" The jounin trailed off as he dropped without warning, planting one hand on the ground to help balance himself as he swung one foot in a wide arc, catching the sadist shinobi in the temple with his heel, sending him skidding away.

"Wow," Naruto commented as Kakashi straightened. "Smooth moves Kakashi-sensei!"

"Thanks. Now go help Sasuke and Sakura with Tazuna." Naruto's reaction was predictable.

"Awww! Why? I wanna help you!" he whined. Why was he always being shoved off into the background?

"No. You'll just get in the way." The jounin put a hand on Naruto's head when the boy looked downcast. "Naruto, you saved my life and I'm grateful for it, but you'll just be in the way. The others need you more right now." The blonde's blue eyes looked mutinous as he brushed off his instructor's hand, but he turned and ran off nonetheless. The jounin sighed, knowing the kid would be the death of him someday. He reached casually into his pouch, once again producing a kunai. "Now Zabuza, where were we?" he asked calmly as the other jounin strode out of the mist, his zanbatou still somehow in his hand. The Konoha-nin knew he would need to deprive him of it somehow if he wanted to win the battle.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke were nervous to say the least. They knew that two brutal battles were going on out there, even if they couldn't see them. The mist had thickened greatly a little while ago and they could hear the sounds of battle not to far away from them. It had been quiet for a bit then both genin had heard Naruto's loud declaration.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, wondering how the dobe could be here when the last the Uchiha had seen of the flamboyant kid, he had been sleeping, dead to the world.

Sakura's voice held equal confusion. "What's he doing here? I thought he would be out for the rest of the day at _least_!" Sasuke didn't answer but that was because footsteps had both genin raising weapons in preparation for an attack. Grumbling met their ears and Sakura caught phrases like "who the hell does he think he is," and "I saved his ass, he could at least be grateful!" They relaxed their guards a little, but still kept the kunai up, just in case it was Zabuza using a Henge.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura called nervously. The mist parted and the orange-clad genin meandered into their line of vision, arms behind his head and a squinty pout on his face.

"Hey Sakura-chan, Sasuke-bastard." He muttered sulkily.

"Hn. What the hell are you doing here dobe?" Sasuke demanded rudely. Naruto's face contorted into an angry scowl.

"Hey! You guys are the jerks who left without waking me up!" He retorted loudly.

"But we though that you would be out for a day!" Sakura protested, coming to Sasuke's defense.

"Heh! You think I'm that pathetic?" The blond demanded, not believing that his team had so little faith in him.

"Yes." Sasuke said simply. Naruto brandished a fist at him but before he did anything, Sakura, trying to be a voice of reason, cut him off.

"But even Kakashi-sensei would've been out after using that much chakra! It's not like you can just bounce back after only one night's rest!"

"But I did, Sakura-chan, and I even saved Inari and Tsunami from some evil bandit guys."

"What!" Tazuna interrupted, panic in his voice. "My family's in danger!?"

"Hey! Didn't I just say I saved them!?" Naruto yelled. "Clean out your ears old man!" That degenerated into an argument between Tazuna, who in his protective panic for his family wanted to run back to his hut, and Naruto who kept yelling they were okay. The other two just shrugged and sighed, knowing it was useless to try and stop them.

* * *

Gohan grunted as another burst of needles from the mirrors around him struck his body. The situation with Haku had turned from bad to worse in a heartbeat. The shinobi had lived up to his statement that Gohan wouldn't be able to keep up with him. His enemy's speed had increased to the point of being invisible to even Saiyan eyes.

A faint whistling behind him made the half-blood warrior lunge forward and roll, just managing to dodge the senbon that lodged in the pavement behind him.

'Damn!' he raged, losing his composure in a brief bout of cursing. 'If this keeps up, I'll run out of energy before he does!" The Z fighter winced as a line of senbon drew a neat line down his upper right arm. The warrior lost no time in pulling the offending weapons out of himself, letting them fall among the hundreds already littering the ground.

He knew that shattering a mirror wouldn't work. Gohan had tried that already. He'd been surprised at his fortune and sprinted for the exit, but a hail of senbon from the mirror above it had rebuffed him, forcing him to dodge. After he'd managed to get his footing, the gap had already closed with a new mirror, sealing him in this funhouse once again. The saiyan supposed he should count himself fortunate that these needles weren't as thick as the kunai everyone else seemed to favor. If they had, he would be dead, as much as his pride wouldn't allow him to admit it.

Haku watched the young teen below him. The ice warrior was currently hiding in the topmost mirror of his jutsu, the one that looked straight down, allowing him to see the whole area his technique occupied. The shinobi had to hand it to this strange fighter. He'd done something no one else had. He'd actually made a way out of the jutsu. Thankfully, the hunter-nin had been able to repel him and reseal the exit. Now Haku was being extra careful not to allow the kid near another mirror. He'd been timing and placing his attacks in such a way that kept Gohan in the relative middle of the Kekkei Genkai.

Zabuza's best weapon was making progress. This kid had fantastic stamina, endurance, power, and pain tolerance. But Haku had managed to surpass him in speed thanks to this jutsu and now was taking full advantage of that gap in order to chip away at the rest of Gohan's strengths. Haku was also sure that the boy was unused to situations involving complex strategy. Whoever had trained him had done a decent job with strategy to be sure, but had focused more on the physical aspects of battle, and that would be this powerhouse's downfall.

Gohan looked at all the blanked mirrors ringing him on all sides. Well, he couldn't sense Haku, probably something in these crazy mirrors, Haku was obviously faster than he was by a wide enough margin, _and_ it was impossible to predict what mirror he would attack from next as the other boy seemed to have the ability to teleport between one mirror to the next without leaving them.

Ki blasts would shatter these mirrors he knew, that was how he'd managed to make the opening the first time. Theoretically, Gohan could put up a barrage that would shatter every ice mirror, but that taxed his ki to the limit, and Haku would probably reemerge just to kill off a worn out Gohan, so that option was out, as was just breaking one and going for it, as the previous attempt had shown him. Oh yeah, the son of Goku was in a very tight spot.

"I have no choice. I didn't want to transform, but this guy's left me no option." Gohan's legs spread wide, his fists clenching at his sides, putting the fighter in the basic stance known as kiba-dache, or horse riding stance. It was the first stance he'd ever learned and all of Piccolo's basic hand and foot movements had been taught to him here before he moved on to more advanced stances and techniques.

Haku watched as his enemy sank into a basic stance and closed his eyes, concentrating. Curiosity took hold of the ice user as he wondered just what the heck the kid was up to. Using such a basic footing wouldn't give him any more advantage over Haku. In fact, it would only slow him down, the horse riding stance being a very immobile way to distribute weight. He was obviously up to something, but for the life of him, Haku couldn't figure out _what_.

"HRAAAAA!!" Gohan let out a cry that split the heavens and, just like at the lake, the ground beneath him cracked and splintered, only this time the fragments began to float, held up by nothing other than the force of Gohan's ki. Hurricane winds blasted up, blowing Kirigakure no Jutsu away in a flash, and exposing the battlefield for all to see.

* * *

Kakashi and Zabuza were locked in a clash when the mist was blown away so fast, the Copy-nin wondered if it had been evaporated. Gohan's yell reached him next followed closely by winds. Both jounin were blown off their feet and the force of the transforming Saiyan's ki crashed down on them an instant after the winds. Kakashi felt the wind knocked from him just from the force of the power the fourth teen was emitting.

"What the hell's going on here!" Zabuza yelled, to which Hatake had no answer.

'Zabuza's got a point,' he thought in amazement. 'Gohan, just what in the seven hells _are_ you?!'

* * *

Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Tazuna were all blown off their feet by the explosion of power.

"What the hell?!" Naruto shouted over the roaring wind, which seemed to becoming from that freaky ice dome near them.

"I think it's Gohan-kun!" Sakura shouted back, shielding her face from all the bits of shattered concrete, dust, and other stuff in the wind.

Sasuke had no answer either as he imitated the kunoichi on the team, protecting his eyes from the brutal forces raging around him.

* * *

Inside the dome, Haku's unseen eyes widened as his mirrors began cracking from the forces that assailed them. 'He's doing this with chakra alone? Just what is he!?' Below, Gohan tensed up, curling in on himself, as if he was trying to get into the fetal position while still on his feet. His yell, having died off and been replaced by sporadic grunts, returned in full force as he uncurled, forcing his power to even greater heights. A gold aura blasted into existence, further increasing the chaos raging around everyone at the bridge.

* * *

Over the lake, close to two miles away, at the Tazuna house, Tsunami hummed as she washed dishes in the roughly hewn, but smooth, sink. She was so happy. Somehow, Naruto-san had managed to get Inari's light to return and… The woman was knocked off her feet as a huge earthquake hit, slamming her to the floor. Tazuna's daughter landed so hard that she thought her ears were filled with a rushing noise. Then it dawned on her that the rushing noise wasn't her, but the ocean outside her house.

"MOM, MOM, YOU GOTTA COME QUICK!!" Inari's panicked yells had her crawling to the wooden door and when she opened it, her first thought was that the apocalypse had come.

The ocean was writhing in swells never seen in Wave Country, even during hurricane season. Winds stronger than any gale were ripping shingles off her roof and planks off the pier like they were feathers. Inari was sitting down a little ways past the door, probably knocked there by the earthquake, and he was staring, white as a sheet, in the direction of the bridge. He looked at his mother with terrified eyes.

"S-S-Something's happening at the bridge!" He cried, his gaze returning to the bridge, whatever was happening over there was so riveting that he couldn't tear his eyes off of it for more than a couple of seconds.

"What, Inari?"

"I-I don't know!" A bright light, as gold as the rising sun, spilled over them now, and Tsunami looked over at her father's creation. What she saw made her body shake like a leaf and her mind go blank from panic.

A star.

A star had settled itself near the end section of the bridge and it shone brighter than anything Tsunami had ever seen! Both mother and son could only watch the spectacle in horrified awe as the thing's light seemed to increase in intensity.

Gohan's yells had reached a crescendo, deafening everyone within earshot. As Haku looked on, wondering how he was going to deal with this latest development, lightning began flaring off of the saiyan's chest, flying up into the air in a double helix that shattered the mirror the hunter-nin had been occupying a moment earlier.

Gohan himself felt the power of the ultimate form a Saiyan could attain surge through him, energizing every cell, awakening him like no adrenalin rush or energy drink could. As much as he didn't like admitting it, the young warrior loved this feeling. It made him feel as if he could do anything!

Without warning, his rocketing ki slammed into a glass ceiling and rebounded, turning the Z fighter's cries of focus into screams of pain. The lightning that had been spiraling into the air reversed direction, revealing, just for an instant, the kanji for the number one shining through Gohan's gi before it attacked him.

The teen felt as if he was on fire from the inside out. Why was he reacting this way!? It was like all the ki he'd built up just now was being forced into a massive backlash that blew him off his feet in a pulse of white light. The protector of earth slammed into one of Haku's already cracked mirrors, damaging it even further. When he slid away from the ice, a spider web pattern of fractures could be seen, a testament to just how hard the kid had been thrown by his own ki.

Gohan slumped, unconscious, and all the phenomena caused by his attempt at a Super Saiyan transformation vanished as if they'd never happened.

* * *

Kakashi looked around, startled at the sudden cut off in the chaos of the world ending. He managed to spot Gohan's limp form, slumped up against the mirror he'd crashed into by the backlash of his own ki.

"Gohan!"

When the kid gave no response, the masked man tried to get to him, but Zabuza sliding to a halt in front of him stopped him.

"Just where do you think you're going?" He asked, amusement at Kakashi's desperation clear in he voice. "We're not done here!" The missing-nin forced the Copy-nin away with a swing of his huge sword and proceeded to press the attack, taking advantage of Hatake's distraction.

'Damn!' The Konoha-nin raged, 'Gohan's in trouble and I can't to anything with tall dark and ugly here! Guess there's no choice.' He swore again, regretting the decision he was about to make, but knowing that there was no way out of it.

Zabuza stopped to brace for another attack and readjust his zanbatou. Kakashi knew that now was his chance. "Naruto! Sasuke! Help Gohan!" Any further order was cut off when the Demon of the Mist renewed his attack.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other. Despite hating each other's guts, both boys could tell that the other was scared shitless at the idea of taking on someone who'd managed to put Gohan down for the count.

Sasuke smirked. "Try not to get in my way, Dobe." Naruto reacted by shaking a fist in the stoic genin's direction.

"Screw you Sasuke-bastard! I'm the one who's gonna rescue Gohan, so _you_ stay the hell outta _my_ way!" The rival's argument suddenly dissolved into the past and both shinobi nodded seriously before sprinting toward the dome of ice mirrors.

"Aren't you gonna go with them?" Sakura turned and looked at the bridge builder, who was watching her with curious eyes. The kunoichi shook her head.

"Nope. I wasn't ordered to and besides, even if Naruto and Sasuke don't get along, you'll never find two people who can work together like they can." The girl's emerald eyes became downcast as she continued. "Besides, I'm just not strong enough. I'll just get in the way." She watched both genin reach the dome and jump through without hesitation.

'Sasuke-kun, Naruto, Gohan-kun, come back alive.'

* * *

Alright! Well, this chapter's done, so let us now examine what's happened. Kakashi's being pressed by Zabuza, Gohan's transformation has somehow backfired, that'll be explained either next chapter or the one after, and Sasuke and Naruto are on the way to help him out. Never fear though! Both Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan Two will be making an appearance in the story, though not 'till much later.

Yes, the battle with Sasuke, Naruto, and Haku will probably be very close to canon. I'm sorry for that, but I liked the way it brings out Kyuubi. Anyway, Glossary!

**Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique/Skill):** The jutsu that Zabuza uses to make the thick mist that gives Kakashi and the others so much trouble.

**Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou (Secret Justu: Demonic Ice Mirrors):** Haku's bloodline. It creates a prison made of ice mirrors and allows the user to reflect themselves into one or all of them, and the user can also teleport between them at high speeds. Yes, I believe this speed to be superior to Gohan's normal state, which is why he was forced to transform.


	5. The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: I own nothing...Not DBZ or Naruto.

Last time: Gohan squares off with Haku and manages to hold his own until Haku activates his Kekkei Genkai. The tables are turned and Gohan is forced onto the defensive. He tries to transform in order to stop Haku, but something goes horribly wrong and Goku's son is knocked out.

This time: The battle continues.

* * *

Haku dropped from his mirror like a ghost, landing without making a sound, as a shinobi should. He slowly withdrew a senbon from one of his pouches and approached Gohan, who was still out cold from the strange reaction during his attempt to transform into a Super Saiyan.

'This boy…' Haku thought as he approached the incapacitated warrior, 'This boy is a threat to Zabuza-san's plans. Therefore, he must be eliminated.'

"I'm sorry," the quiet hunter-nin said out loud, though he was sure that the other warrior couldn't hear him, "You fought well and courageously, but I must eliminate you." The slim weapon in his hand raised for the sky, the sun, exposed once more due to the mist being blown away, glinted off of the needle.

His hand dropped.

The sound of whirling shuriken cut the finishing blow short and the hunter was forced to jump back or get killed. Two blurs entered his vision, one angling for Gohan, the other coming to a stop right in front of him, the blur materializing into Uchiha Sasuke.

The raven-haired Uchiha smirked and let loose with a vicious roundhouse that was much faster than Haku could've expected. The blow landed squarely in Haku's face and the boy felt the concussion rip through the mask and slam into his skull. He flew back, but managed to get his feet under him and skid to a halt.

Sasuke pulled out a kunai, whirling it on his finger as he brought it up and snapped it into a reverse grip.

"Get him out of here Dobe!" Sasuke shouted over his shoulder, "I can't hold this guy off forever!"

Naruto glared at the other genin as he slung one of Gohan's arms over his shoulder and heaved the boy up. "Shut up Sasuke! I'm going already!" Holding tight to the unconscious teen, the blond jumped for the gap between the mirror that had been fractured by Gohan's impacting body and the one next to it.

'No!' Haku shouted inwardly, 'He must not be allowed to escape!' The hunter prepared to move and Sasuke, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, snapped all his attention back on Haku, tensing in preparation for a potential attack.

Instead of the anticipated full on attack, the masked shinobi jumped up and away. Sasuke thought it was a stupid thing to do. That was, until the hunter-nin hit one of those weird mirrors and melded into it. A split second later and the Uchiha was surrounded on all sides by reflections of the other shinobi. A cry of pain sounded from behind him. He looked and saw Naruto flying back into the dome of mirrors, slamming into the senbon-littered ground with a heavy 'thud'. Gohan, jarred from the blonde's grasp by the whatever-it-was that blew Naruto back in, landed a short distance away.

"What the…?"

Sasuke's curse was cut short and the last of the Uchiha felt _something_ slam into him from behind, as hard as a charging rhino, and the genin flew forward, landing on his stomach and going into a skid. He managed to stop himself and stood up, wincing as he bled from a few superficial wounds, caused by senbon on the ground stabbing into him as he'd passed by.

He raised the kunai he'd somehow managed to get a grip on and waited, hoping to find what'd hit him and pay it back. Something told him it was this pretty boy in the mirrors.

"Ow! What the hell was that?" Naruto asked as he picked himself up, rubbing his head from where it had cracked against the concrete of the bridge on landing. "Sasuke-bastard, what hit me?"

For once the Uchiha gave him a straight answer without any comments on his stupidity in it, "This guy in the mirrors. Somehow he hit us both in the span of a few seconds."

Haku was surprised by the black-haired kid, Sasuke's, comment. Not many people could figure out that it was him in the mirrors. Even some of the jounin he'd killed with this technique took awhile to catch on and they'd had many times this boy's experience.

'He is a talented shinobi,' Haku observed. 'It appears I may have to watch myself around him or this could be tough.'

Naruto stepped up beside his teammate, drawing a kunai as he did. "So, Sasuke-bastard, just how are we getting out of here?"

The other genin reached into his kunai pouch, drawing out some wire. He tied a length around the ring of the kunai and drew out as much slack as he'd thought he'd need. The Uchiha had an idea of how to get out of this mess, and to do it he would need Naruto's unusually high stamina.

"Naruto," he murmured, trying to keep his voice low and not move his lips so this guy wouldn't be able to read them. "I'm gonna try melting the mirror that Gohan hit. Keep this guy distracted as long as you can."

Naruto nodded, grinning in determination. "Okay! You can count on me!"

"On three. Ready?" Naruto nodded. "Okay. One…Two…THREE!"

Haku was caught semi-off guard when the raven-haired kid turned around and hurled a kunai at the fractured mirror. He was forced to concentrate on the other genin though, because he was trying to make a getaway.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Ten copies of Naruto headed off in every direction, making a break for the gaps between the mirrors. Haku dropped from his hiding place and zipped around the dome faster than any eye could hope to track. To the hunter-nin, it appeared that the clones were moving in slow motion and he could hit a vital spot on each one before they had time to react, or even sense he was there.

Sasuke ignored the popping noises of exploding Kage Bunshins behind him, throwing his kunai at the fractured mirror, the weapon trailing a slivery strand of near-invisible wire as it lodged in one of the cracks in the ice. The avenger raised the end of the wire to his lips and made a sequence of hand seals, inhaling deeply as he did.

'Katon! Ryuuka no Jutsu!'

He let his breath out with a rush and a river of fire shot down the wire and slammed full-on into the weakened mirror. The fire from the technique shot into every crevice in the ice and for a second, there was a spider web of fire on the surface. Then there was a sound like a gunshot and the mirror shattered.

"Let's go Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, hoping his companion would be able to grab Gohan because the Uchiha was too far away.

Naruto ran for the passed out saiyan and scooped him up into a fireman's carry, sprinting for the hole Sasuke had made, using chakra to reduce the friction between his feet and the ground, allowing him to go faster.

Both boys made it to the exit, and Sasuke had even gotten one foot on the outside, then both were grabbed roughly by their shirt collars and heaved back inside. Once again, both genin thudded to the ground. Sasuke struggled to pick himself up and caught sight of his enemy, real and in the flesh, not some reflection, standing in front of them. Both of the genin watched, horrified, as the gap that they'd made in the dome resealed itself.

'Dammit!' Sasuke thought angrily. 'We're never gonna get out of here at this rate!'

"Damn you!" Naruto shouted, showing off his amazing stamina by vaulting back to his feet. He leveled a defiant finger at the masked hunter. "I'll kill you!" He ran straight at Haku, drawing back for a haymaker, ignoring Sasuke's yells to stop.

Haku watched with mild amusement as the blond approached. When Naruto leapt into the air to add momentum to his strike, the hunter-nin made his move. His arm flashed faster than the eye could see and Naruto yelped as a senbon needle embedded itself in his shoulder, making the blond lose focus. Haku caught him as he came down and whirled around, using Naruto's own momentum against him. He let go of the genin and sent him crashing into Sasuke, who had just managed to get back to his feet. Both cried out as they collided and, before the pair had hit the ground, Haku had slipped back into his mirrors.

"That was a clever idea," the masked kid said as his reflection popped up in all the mirrors. "Using the fire to deliver a shock to a weakened mirror was truly a brilliant plan. However, I will tell you the same thing I told your friend. You cannot escape. I do not wish to kill you, but if you continue to push me, you will die."

Sasuke glared at the masked kid before charging him with a savage yell. Haku merely sidestepped and shot a leg out, tripping Sasuke and causing the Uchiha to crash to the ground.

"I told you that it is futile," he stated coldly as he merged back into one of his mirrors. The raven-haired genin bit back a curse as he found himself surrounded by reflections once again. Every single Haku held up needles. The arms flashed and Sasuke began to dodge once again, trying not to get hit by streaks of light.

Kakashi grunted as he backpedaled. Zabuza's humongous meat cleaver smashed into the ground and kicked up debris. When the bandaged jounin pulled his weapon out of the ground, there was a vicious gouge in the hard pavement of the bridge deck.

'This is bad,' Kakashi thought to himself grimly. 'I'm starting to get tired. I can last maybe an hour more and that's it.' It was true. The Konoha jounin could feel fatigue digging at the barest edges of his consciousness even as he thought that. If he couldn't end this battle soon, Hatake and everyone he was fighting to protect would be killed.

A cry of pain made him look away, towards the ice dome that held Naruto, Sasuke and Gohan. What he saw made his blood turn to ice water. Sasuke was slumped in the middle of the jutsu, his shoulders and back riddled with senbon needles.

Zabuza noticed the other shinobi's gaze. He chuckled darkly when he saw the results of his tool's handiwork. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He asked. "Haku is a true shinobi. He'll kill anyone without hesitation." He looked over at the Copy-nin with amused eyes. "Too bad for you, Kakashi. All of your brats are gonna die, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Yeah?" Kakashi retorted with a confidence he did not feel. This battle wasn't going his way and both of the jounin knew it. Hatake would need to do something drastic if he wanted to win this fight. "Then you don't know my team." He looked the Demon of the Mist with a hidden smirk. "First there's Sasuke. Tell me, do you know his surname?"

"Why the hell would I care about a snot-nosed brat's last name?"

"I'll tell you why. His name is _Uchiha_ Sasuke!"

Zabuza's eyes went wide. So. The rumors about a kid surviving the massacre of his clan were true after all! Konohagakure had done a lot to hide the fact that one of their most prestigious clans had been wiped from existence by one of the clan's own. "So you're telling me that that kid could awaken the Sharingan?"

The silver-haired shinobi nodded. "Yep! And since your little hunter-nin is pushing him into a corner, it's getting more and more likely that his Kekkei Genkai will show itself!"

"You're lying Kakashi!"

The other shinobi shrugged. "Maybe. But even if it doesn't, and Sasuke is somehow killed, there's still Naruto to deal with."

Zabuza's derisive snort cut the scarecrow off. "Really. That kid's nothing but a dead-last."

"No. You're wrong. He may not be the smartest of shinobi; that honor goes to Sakura, but Naruto will never _ever_ give up. And Sakura, well, she may not be the strongest member of the team, but she'll whip up a strategy to kick your ass!"

Now Zabuza burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha! Come off it Kakashi! You're telling me that any one of these genins could kill me?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."

"You're bluffing."

Kakashi shrugged again. "Perhaps, but there's still Gohan. If any one of us fail, that kid won't. I don't know just how strong he is, but you know better than I do that he can fight."

Zabuza's eyes went wide as he remembered the vicious beating he'd received at the young Super Saiyan's hands. A hand went to his left side, where the broken ribs still hadn't healed properly and were still tender.

Hatake grinned; the only outward sign of it was his mask warping. "See? But you don't need to worry about them."

"Why?"

Kakashi's grin turned into a grim glare. "Because I'm about to kill you." With that, the two jounin picked up their weapons and charged headlong into battle, becoming nothing but blurs bouncing off each other with a shower of sparks and the crisp 'clangs' of steel meeting steel.

Naruto struggled to get back on his feet.

'Dammit! It can't end like this!' the blond thought desperately as he finally managed to stand.

"Sasuke!"

The Uchiha turned at the blonde's call. "Naruto! We gotta get out of here! Give me a hand will you?!" The other genin nodded, determination shining in his eyes. The two rivals regarded each other, then, at some unspoken signal, sprinted for the edges of the dome. They hoped that Haku wouldn't be able to take both of them on.

Unfortunately for them, the hunter-nin was more than capable of keeping up with them. Naruto yelled as something struck him in the Achilles Tendon, making his ankle go numb. Sasuke faltered for a split-second, but recovered and continued his charge at the ring of mirrors. Sadly, the moment of hesitation was more than enough and Haku's foot, invisible to the unaided eye, slammed into his gut, making him cough blood and crash onto his back.

Naruto grunted as he pulled the needle out of his heel. "Son of a _bitch_!" He yelled, his frustration finally getting to his head. He pointed defiantly at one of the reflections. "You're not keeping me here, you bastard!" He made a hand-seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" There was a burst of smoke and a group of blond-haired copies sprinted in every conceivable direction. One of them stepped in a puddle, probably left over from one of the Zabuza clones from earlier in the battle.

Haku blasted from his mirrors, striking down clone after clone.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the water droplets kicked up from the clone's step get shredded in several different directions.

'No way!' The arrogant Uchiha smirked. He had it now. The basis behind this guy's attacks. He would leap from mirror to mirror and attack faster than the eye could see, but it was only a one shot pass. He had to reenter a mirror if he wanted to do it again. 'I've got it now, plus he's slowing down. I can feel it! I have to hand it to the dobe, he's given me the way to get out of here!' Sasuke looked at Gohan's limp form with reluctant eyes. 'And I guess we wouldn't be at this point if he hadn't beaten the crap out of this jerk.'

Naruto cried out as the masked hunter rebuffed him again. He growled as his frustration levels continued to rise. He was starting to run low on chakra. Before long, he would pass out and then Sasuke-bastard would be all on his own.

"Naruto!" The blond looked over his shoulder at Sasuke, who was crouching on the ground. There was a light in his dark eyes that told the loud genin that he had a plan. "Can you do that again?"

The orange-clad genin smirked. "Keh. Who do you take me for! Of course I can do it!" He made the seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" For a second time, the air was filled with leaping Shadow Clones as they tried to find a way out.

Sasuke ran forward and dropped into a slide, going right through a puddle and throwing water droplets in every direction. He began to make hand seals even before he stopped sliding, looking for the movement he knew was coming.

A droplet burst apart. Then another and another.

"There! Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled, shooting a fireball at the bursting droplets. It was more of a desperation move on his part, but somehow, he managed to singe the hem of Haku's pants.

Haku merged with the mirror and looked down at his burnt clothing. 'He hit me.' It was just an observation, but there was surprise and puzzlement in the hunter's mental voice. Despite all of Zabuza-san's teachings that emotions were a thing to be suppressed and ignored, Haku wasn't able to keep the surprise from radiating through him. 'No one has ever managed to hit me while trapped in my Kekkei Genkai.' He continued to watch the Uchiha as he looked around, trying to find the real Haku. 'This one is dangerous. I must eliminate him as quickly as possible.'

Sasuke glared down at Naruto as the weary kid tried to drag himself upright again. "Come on, loser!" the dark-haired genin barked harshly. He knew that the best way to get Naruto back in the game would be to piss him off. "Get on you feet! We've got to team up!"

The loudmouth's reply was interrupted by his heavy breathing, "Shut…up…Sa…suke…I…know!" That simple remark sapped the last of his strength and Naruto keeled over backwards, giving into the exhaustion that seeped into his bone marrow.

"Naruto? Naruto! Dammit, of all the times…" Sasuke's rant was cut short by a barrage of senbon from the mirrors. He did a pretty good job of evading the attack, but when one managed to stick him, it ruined his concentration and he got hit again, the senbon lodging in his legs, arms and back.

Kakashi wasn't faring any better than Sasuke was. Sure, he wasn't being turned into a living pincushion, but one strike from that damn sword of Zabuza's and he'd be cut in half. A plan on how to defeat the missing-nin had fully formed in his head, but the masked shinobi just couldn't figure out _how_ he was going to pull it off.

Zabuza landed, skidding from the latest clash of kunai against zanbatou. The Mist-nin really had to give Kakashi a few points. The guy was good. Not many people could fight off a sword as big as his with just a couple of kunai. But still, this battle was dragging on for far too long. Tiredness was already beginning to wear at Zabuza and his attacks weren't as fast or precise as they had been in the past.

'Kakashi's not my real target anyway,' he thought. His hard gray eyes fell on the old bridge-builder, who was watching the duel inside Haku's ice mirrors with a tense look. 'This is perfect. He's not paying attention and neither is his guard.' The pink kunoichi, who had been so highly praised by her mentor, wasn't watching him as she should have been. It was a mistake that was about to cost them dearly.

Kakashi's mismatched eyes narrowed as Zabuza disappeared.

'Huh? Now where'd that little son of a bitch run off to?' he wondered. Then it hit him. "Tazuna!"

Sakura screamed when Zabuza appeared right in front of her, getting ready to slice both her and Tazuna in half with one swing. Kakashi-sensei poofed in and took the hit, blood spraying everywhere and the kunoichi screamed again, her yell echoing across the bridge.

Sasuke stopped dead at hearing his other teammate's screams.

'What's going on over there?' He wondered. 'Where's Kakashi?'

Haku had noticed the other boy's gaze. "It is over," he said plainly. The Uchiha gave him a glare that was as cold as the air inside this icy house of mirrors. "Zabuza-san has succeeded in his mission. Your teammates are dead and you will soon be as well."

"Like hell!" Sasuke spat out, venom permeating his voice. He still had things to do in this world! He was _not_ about to die yet! "I'll take you down first!"

"How?" Haku asked, raising a valid point. "You cannot track my movements, even if you did get lucky with a fireball." He held up another handful of senbon. The masked shinobi was abruptly reflected in every mirror. "Now it's time for you to die. I'm sorry that it has to end like this." The boy's arm rose to strike.

Haku let fly with his senbon and the air was filled with slender needles. One of those was sure to hit a pressure point and kill the defiant genin in the blink of an eye. After that was take care of, Haku would take his time and finish off the strange warrior and Naruto, the blond who continued to surprise everyone.

"I…will not…let it end…HERE!" To Haku's very great surprise and chagrin, Sasuke reached down and seized one of the senbon buried itself in his arm and yanked it out. Clinking filled the air as Uchiha's arm moved faster than Haku would've ever thought possible, deflecting each and every senbon, no matter which direction it came from.

The hunter-nin watched his prey in suspense as Sasuke managed to get his ragged breathing under control, his eyes shadowed by his bangs. Even the normally emotionless Haku gasped when Sasuke looked up and glared at him with angry red eyes.

Sharingan eyes.

The Uchiha knew immediately that he'd done it. He'd unlocked the Kekkei Genkai of his clan! His eyes felt warm, and every illusion of Haku had disappeared, leaving him with the real hunter and also the ability to track every senbon needle flying at him. It was faint, but each of the needles had a slight double of itself, just ahead of the weapon's current path. Sasuke had taken a gamble and blocked the first needle based on where the projection was. When the first block had been successful, the raven-haired avenger had wasted no time in doing the same with the other needles.

He smirked, once again the arrogant genius. "Now. Where were we?"

'So, he has a Kekkei Genkai as well. To unlock it during battle is a very rare thing indeed.' Haku had to admit that he was impressed with this genin from Konoha. 'I will have to end this now before my chakra can decrease anymore.' The boy held up more senbon, fazing from mirror to mirror, Sasuke's immature Sharingan tracking him the entire time. 'He has turned the tables. I can no longer kill him the way things stand now.' Haku's gaze shifted to the limp forms of Gohan and Naruto. 'So I'll attack his friends!'

Sasuke's red eyes widened when he saw Haku's eye slits on his mask shift past him and focus on Naruto and Gohan. Those same Sharingan eyes saw Haku leap from the mirror, speeding towards the two fallen fighters.

'Dammit, no!' that one thought pounded through the Uchiha's head as he forced chakra into his feet and moved as fast as he could, trying desperately to intercept the hunter before he could kill the two fallen warriors.

Time slowed for Sasuke. In perfect clarity, he saw the arm with the senbon raise into the striking position, the wan sunlight, obscured by overcast clouds, glinting off the tip of the needles. The thin silvery weapons flew, the sleeve that encased Haku's arm rippling slowly in Sasuke's enhanced vision.

Then he was there.

Pain flooded him as the twin senbon struck him in the chest. His strength was draining rapidly, but the determined genin still managed to grab Haku and spin him around, letting him go and sending the hunter crashing into his own justu.

The masked hunter stood easily, only bruised from the hit. "Truly impressive," he commented, the respect in his voice real. "You found the strength to protect the people precious to you and were able to stop me from killing them." Haku watched as Sasuke coughed violently, blood bursting from his mouth to splatter on the bridge's deck, now used and abused from the battle that had taken place and Gohan's transformation. "Sadly, you were not able to evade me, despite the power granted to you by the Sharingan." Even as he spoke, Sasuke swayed on his feet, his crimson eyes fading back to their usual obsidian hue.

That was when Naruto awoke. The first thing his eyes fell on was Sasuke, wobbling like a drunk man, numerous senbon needles sticking from the shirt that so proudly bore the fan-like crest of the Uchiha clan. "Sasuke?" Naruto had to wonder. Since when did Sasuke-bastard defend him like this? Something was really wrong here; Naruto could feel it deep inside.

"Heh. You're such an idiot," Sasuke wheezed out, the world beginning to grow dark. Death was creeping into the edges of his vision and soon he would completely fade away. He looked over his shoulder, a weak attempt at a smirk on his face. His eyes, though, ruined the effect. They held a light of sadness and warmth in them, as if Sasuke was happy he'd done what he did, but at the same time regretting it.

"Sasuke!"

"Keh…You…should see…your…face." Naruto was shaking all over. The voice of his greatest rival sounded so weak and open, as if he knew his time was near.

"WHY!?" Naruto shouted, closing his eyes as he shouted his question. "I never asked for this!"

"I don't know why I did it…My…body…just…M…moved." No longer could the last of the Uchiha hold himself upright and he tipped backwards. Sasuke braced himself for the pain that would accompany him hitting the ground, as the senbon in his back would be driven deeper into him.

The pain never came. Instead, hands reached up to grab him and slowed his fall. Naruto lowered his friend to the ground, even going out of his way to find a position that wouldn't drive the needles in deeper. Sasuke looked horrible. What little color his pale skin held was fading fast and there were bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep in days. Twin streaks of blood ran from each corner of his mouth and flecked his chin as well. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as his rival's own began to flutter, like he couldn't keep them open anymore.

"He's…still…out there." Naruto forced himself to look Sasuke in the eye as the Uchiha breathed out his last words. "My brother…He's the one…I…have…to…k-k-kill." The last word was said in a rush of escaping air and Sasuke's eyes closed, not opening again. The loud blond found that the world looked oddly blurry.

Haku watched the whole scene unfold before him. He wanted to spare the life of this blond genin, but knew that Zabuza-san would never allow it. All three of them had to die. Though, perhaps he would be able to convince his mentor to spare the life of the kunoichi. It was the least Haku could do for the memories these three were about to become.

"He was a brave shinobi, and he died protecting the ones who meant the most to him. Such a death…It's the greatest a shinobi can ask for."

"Shut up." Naruto murmured, grief and mourning heavy in his voice. It seemed odd for such a happy person to have such a tone. "Sasuke…" Now he was addressing the body. "I swear to you right now that I'll kill your brother in your memory." A new emotion washed over him like a breaking tsunami. Rage. It flooded every inch of him, warming him, waking him up like nothing could and bringing with it a renewed sense of power. "But first…" He glared at Haku and the masked shinobi took a step back in fear. Naruto's one visible eye, the other hidden by shadow and his bangs, was as a bloody red as the Sharingan, the pupil slitted like a cat's. "I have to _kill_ this BASTARD!!"

Power blasted up around the grieving genin, ripping furrows in the concrete as two rings of bright red chakra began swirling around the blond.

'Not good! What is this!?' Haku thought, experiencing fear for the first time since becoming Zabuza-san's apprentice. The chakra burst off the ground, becoming a spiral that arced high into the air. 'Chakra cannot be seen, but yet…I can see it!' The hunter-nin's hidden eyes widened when the senbon that riddled Naruto's body were abruptly pushed clear as the wounds healed themselves. 'Just what is he!?"

Haku continued to watch in horrified fascination as, for the second time that day, a frightening transformation took place right before him. Naruto's hair fluffed and became wild, Haku just barely able to pick up a resemblance to ears of a cat or fox. The whisker marks thickened, darkening to become like real whiskers. The genin's canine teeth elongated and sharpened, turning into fearsome fangs.

Kakashi and Zabuza stopped their battle when a cruel and oppressive force pounded them over and over. Zabuza looked at the ice mirror dome that his tool should've been killing Kakashi's brats in.

'What is this feeling?' The Swordsman wondered. 'It's foul, like some kind of demon.'

Kakashi was stopped cold and a chill passed over him. The battle with Zabuza had taken a turn in Kakashi's favor. He'd managed to give himself an opening by getting wounded. Sure he had a vicious and painful gash that ran from one shoulder to the opposite hip, but he'd turned it around by sending his ninken after the blood that still clung to Zabuza's meat cleaver. Now Zabuza was short the use of one arm and once again the two jounin were on semi-even ground again.

'Is Zabuza creating this or is it Gohan again?' Kakashi wondered briefly, before a pulse in the power laid its true nature bare for him. 'No! I know this chakra!' He whirled, and saw something that truly scared him. A red whirlwind was raging inside the ice dome and it seemed to only get more intense. "The Kyuubi!"

This was bad. If the Kyuubi no Yoko got out now, everyone and everything for miles around would be wiped out by a vicious and blood-thirsty fox!

"Kyuubi?" Zabuza repeated, not knowing what the hell Hatake was talking about. But that was before the memories of horrors past surfaced. When he spoke again, there was a definite note of panic in the brutal jounin's voice. "You don't mean…?"

Kakashi nodded, forgetting his duel with the other in light of his latest development. "Yeah. Kyuubi no Yoko. The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. The greatest menace to ever befall Konohagakure!"

"But I thought that your Yondaime sealed it away!"

"He did, but it looks like that seal is weakening."

Haku shuddered in horror from the sheer amount of hatred and killing intent in this chakra. He watched as the chakra storm began to subside, but not before the spiral twisted itself into the form of a snarling fox head. The head flew away, then everything went still, but the hatred and blood lust lingered like a wet sheet. Naruto was crouching in the middle of his icy funhouse, growling and snarling like some kind of animal, his red eyes, clouded by fury, were looking at each mirror in turn, trying to find the real hunter-nin.

'I have to kill him!' Haku thought quickly, drawing a handful of senbon. 'Before he kills _me_!' Something about the movement that Haku made in reaching for his senbon pouches drew Naruto's full attention onto him. The masked shinobi had barely enough time to wonder how Naruto had managed to find him before the enraged and super powered genin charged the mirror right in front of him, coincidentally the one Haku was occupying. "No!" Haku didn't hesitate, ejecting himself straight out the back of his mirror. His quick action saved his life as Naruto's fist shattered the hard ice as if it was nothing more than a single pane of glass, sending ice fragments flying like a shower of shattered diamonds.

The ice user had no time to wonder how impossible it was that his mirrors had been defeated so easily, nor could he evade when Naruto fazed into existence before him, livid, vengeful eyes and demonic features inches from Haku's blank mask, his right arm cocked back for a strike. The shinobi had to time to counter. He was this creature's plaything, and the incensed blond knew it.

The world went white as Naruto's fist crashed into Haku's face with all the gentleness of a stampeding bull elephant. Haku went flying away, corkscrewing in the air. By habit he'd tried to roll with the punch, but it hadn't helped and Naruto had still had the strength and the momentum to knock him flying. The flying nin crashed hard to the cement bridge deck, skidding and making a furrow of debris that hid everything except his masked face.

Both of the jounin were ignorant of the epic battle unfolding on the other side of the bridge. Kakashi had been about to go after Naruto to stop him when Zabuza had attacked, taking advantage of Kakashi's distraction. Now Zabuza had recalled his mist, though it seemed to be localized to just the two of them. Hatake knew that it was probably because he was trying to give Haku all the advantage he could to use against Naruto.

'Great. Now I can't see him. Well, might as well use a different method.' Kakashi thought casually as he reached up to the wound across his chest that was still bleeding a little, though the flow of blood had been slowed as the wound began to clot. He swiped a thumb across the wound, wincing a little as his ravaged nerves in the area protested against the sudden stimulation. A scroll dropped from one of the pouches on his flack vest and the jounin unrolled the scroll with the grace of one of those ribbon dancers, passing his blood-covered thumb across the kanji scribbled across the page.

Kakashi tossed the scroll into the air, the roll of parchment snapping shut with a crisp rustling noise and his gloved hands began flying through a set of seals that would end this little skirmish. Let's see if Zabuza could slice his way of this!

"Kuchiyose! Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!"

Kanji for summoning poured out of the scroll and into the ground, a twisting web of hairline fractures racing off into the mist. Kakashi smiled grimly beneath his mask. His ninken had yet to fail at tracking a target. Zabuza was about to get a present. The scarecrow could hardly wait to see how the Demon of the Mist was going to handle _this_ one!

Zabuza hefted his sword onto his shoulders with his good arm. Kakashi was going to die. That Sharingan of his was limited by this mist and because the jounin himself wasn't an Uchiha, which, in turn, meant that the effectiveness and duration the dojutsu could be used was further reduced. The jounin estimated that Kakashi had a little more than five minutes of use left in him at the most. After that, he would pass out from chakra exhaustion and then Zabuza would be able to kill the Konoha-nin at his leisure.

"Now Kakashi," the missing-nin said to himself, "time to die!" Before he could take any action though, a cracking noise split the air and Zabuza looked down in time to see a massive black bulldog wearing a Konoha hirai-ate and a vest with some kind of symbol that looked like a face on it, lunged from the ground and bit into his right shoulder. Close to seven or eight more of the pooches, ranging from a tiny pug puppy to another massive dog, appeared from the ground and all sank their fangs into him.

Kakashi grinned as he stood from his kneeling position and pulled his headband back into its usual position. Now. Now was the time to end it all.

Haku struggled to his feet, swaying as drunkenly as Sasuke had done before. His mask, which had held up surprisingly well from the vicious right cross Naruto had given him, cracked with the sound of ice breaking and began to slide in pieces off of his face.

Naruto was looking at one of his clawed hands with curiosity in his red eyes, as if he was trying to determine which position would be the best way to kill Haku with. The hand clenched into a fist and the demonic eyes locked onto the boy with the crumbling mask once again. The Konoha genin let out a primal roar and charged wildly for Haku.

The ice-nin himself watched with the calm that takes over when one knows that their death is at hand. He wasn't afraid to die. He'd failed Zabuza-san and now he was about to be punished for it. He was but a broken tool now, nothing more than a thing to be thrown away and forgotten about.

Naruto leapt into the air, clearly going to add the momentum of his fall to the punch and put his fist through Haku's head.

The last piece of the hunter-nin's mask fell away and clattered to the ground.

"Why did you stop?" Haku asked, staring at Naruto's fist without fear, even though it was mere inches from his face. It was close enough for the cold shinobi to feel the heat, close enough to smell the scent of trees and flowers on it. And blood as well. The blood of his friend as he'd held the dying boy in his arms. "Why do you not kill me?"

Naruto's face, back to normal, complete with the blue eyes and six scar-like marks, was alight with surprise and wonder. Haku was able to read the questions flitting across it as if Naruto was asking them aloud.

_I know him!_

_Why is he here?_

_Isn't he with Zabuza!?_

_I almost killed him!_

Haku smiled gently. "Aren't you going to kill me?" he asked gently. Naruto's fist lowered and the boy straightened, wonder still painfully obvious in his sky-blue eyes.

"What…What're you doing here!?"

Back inside the circle of ice mirrors, Gohan began to stir. The half saiyan pushed himself upright with a groan, but collapsed almost immediately because his arms felt like overcooked spaghetti and his body felt like it weighed as much as an armored truck. His eyes opened and he looked around as much as he could from his lying down position.

The ring of mirrors around him was still intact with the exception of one, straight across from him. There was a gap from where the mirror used to be, but the mirror itself was shattered, the tiny fragments of it glittering on the ground, as if someone had just dumped a bucketful of diamonds at the foot of the gap.

'What happened here?' Gohan wondered to himself as he tried to once again push himself up. This time he managed to get to his knees.

Then he saw the body.

Sasuke was lying just a few feet away from him, his face deathly pale and there was no sign of a rise and fall in the genin's chest.

'No! Can't be!' Gohan thought desperately as he crawled over to the limp form, trying to fell out the other boy's ki. There was no sign of it. Curiously though, there still seemed to be the barest hint of color in his cheeks that hadn't been there when Naruto had last seen the Uchiha, but Gohan didn't know that.

'Sasuke, please don't be dead!' The Super Saiyan pleaded silently as he reached a trembling hand out to touch Sasuke's still one. To his surprise, there was the faintest hint of heat to the kid's skin. Was it just some residual heat that had yet to fade, or was it possible that Sasuke was still alive, no matter how remote the possibility. This kind of thing wasn't Gohan's forte by any means. Still, he did know basic first aid, so he could at least see if it was possible that the Uchiha had yet to pass to the next world.

Really hoping that the kid wouldn't wake up in the middle of this, because it would be really hard to explain, and something told Gohan that Sasuke was more like Vegeta when it came to things of this nature, the young saiyan crawled over to the death-like boy and placed an ear to his chest, careful to avoid the senbon needle protruding from it.

Gohan's eyes dropped closed. The softest 'thump-thump' of a heartbeat reached the warrior's ears and he reared back in shock. He was still alive! So why didn't that guy with the mask kill him? He'd certainly done his best to kill Gohan, even forcing the boy to take it up to the next level!

Speaking of which…

Gohan shouldered his way out of his gi top and let it fall around his waist like his dad did sometimes. One eyebrow raised in puzzlement as he looked at his torso. There was no sign of the whatever-it-was that had made his ki backlash with enough force to throw him across the area and knock him out. So what had it been? Gohan didn't know. He would have to ask someone who did later. Maybe Kakashi would know. Now, to see where everyone had run off.

The Super Saiyan heaved himself to his feet, clutching an aching shoulder, most likely from his collision with the ice mirror, and staggered towards the hole in the jutsu.

* * *

Well, I think that's a good place to stop. Sorry that what happens here is pretty much canon. Trust me, I didn't like writing it anymore than you liked reading it, but it had to be done, so don't yell at me. I couldn't think of another way to bring out Kyuubi's power, as I warned in the last chapter. ANYWAY, expect the Wave Arc to end and Gohan finally getting on his way to Konoha and whatever adventures await him there. Still trying to work out if I'm gonna put Gohan in the Chuunin Exams or if I'm gonna have him only show up to duke it out with Orochimaru. Sorta looking to go with the latter, but I've got a little ways to go before I hit that point. Closer to the present, I can say this for sure! Gohan will meet Team Gai! And NO! he will NOT become the Great Saiyaman! I _hate_ that part of DBZ. Besides, Gohan isn't at that age anyway. Oh, one more thing, sorry for the late update. I caught the bug that's been going around campus as of late and I've been a little under the weather, so needless to say, I didn't feel much like writing. Well, enough with my rambling. Glossary time!

**Glossary**

**Kuchiyose! Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu (Summoning! Earth Style: Tracking Fang Skill/Technique):** A jutsu specific to Kakashi (so far. I haven't seen anyone else use it). He uses a scroll to give his ninken something to follow then unleashes them on the target. Once caught, the victim is immobilized and open to a bigger jutsu like Chidori or Rasengan.

**Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu (Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique/Skill): **A technique that sends fire down some type of guide (typically wire). In the manga it's little more than a trickle, but the anime version is rather large, and it's the version I envision here.

**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutu (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Technique/Skill): **Sasuke's trademark jutsu and considered a right of passage in the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha were noted for their use of fire jutsu and this one is just one in their arsenal. The user expels a large fireball from the mouth, incinerating the target. First used on Kakashi, who couldn't believe Sasuke could do it. Didn't help Sasuke much though. .


	6. Moving On

Disclaimer: As always, own nothing

Last Time: It was basically a rewrite of the episode where Naruto goes Kyuubi. Sorry again about that.

This Time: The battle comes to a close and Gohan gets his first look at Konohagakure

* * *

Naruto and Haku regarded each other, their battle completely forgotten, each wondering different things, Naruto wondering why Haku was even here in the first place and Haku wondering when Naruto was going to get around to killing him. Any conversation that the boys could've had was stopped before it could even begin by shuffling footsteps and ragged breathing. Both boys looked to see just who the newcomer was.

Naruto felt hope spring up in his chest, thinking that it was Sasuke, back from the dead. That hope was mercilessly crushed when he saw that the new arrival was Gohan, who looked like he'd seen better days. Dried blood clung to the various puncture wounds all over his body and the purple gi that the boy had been wearing since they'd met was ragged and tattered at the edges. One eye was drooping and he held his side, as if the young warrior had a few broken ribs.

Haku saw all this and more. Unlike Naruto, he knew that Gohan wouldn't be doing anymore fighting that day. The saiyan looked exhausted, if the panting breaths and the fact that he was leaning on a mirror were anything to go by.

"Gohan!" Naruto cried, running over to his newest friend. "Are you alright? You look like crap!"

The demi-saiyan laughed weakly, the fatigue from the grueling battle evident in his voice. "I'm alright. Trust me, I've been worse." It was true. If the blond kid got all worked up over this, then Gohan would've loved to see his face after the battle with Cell was done and over with. The Super Saiyan hadn't been able to even move a finger for close to a day after he'd killed that accursed android. Piccolo had had to carry him to the Lookout.

The hunter-nin a short distance away looked on with wonder at the two as Naruto laughed at some comment Gohan made and the two began arguing good-naturedly. He turned his attention over to where Zabuza and Kakashi were. A heavy bubble of mist hung over their area, obscuring anything that the ice user would've been able to see. But his senses told him everything. Zabuza-san was losing, and Kakashi was preparing to deliver the final blow, a sudden surge in chakra telling the hunter everything.

Gohan's eyes flickered, picking up the surge in Kakashi's chakra at the same time that Haku did. 'Wha? Is this Kakashi-san?' He looked over at the mist bubble, obsidian eyes wide at the scale of the surge. 'No way!' It stole his breath away. It felt like his father's ki did when the legendary warrior had used a Kamehameha. By concentrating his ki into a single point, the strength was put through the roof.

* * *

Zabuza watched with wide eyes as Kakashi held a fistful of lightning, so intense that it charged the air around him, making a ring of the stuff on the ground.

'Impossible!' was the only thought that could make it through the blank wall of shock that had settled over the shinobi's brain and that single word chased itself around and around like a yapping Chihuahua chasing its tail.

"Raikiri!" Kakashi roared, the electrical storm becoming even more intense as the Chidori upgraded itself to a Raikiri. There was no real difference in the look of the jutsu; however, it was like Gohan's Masenko and Kamehameha. Outwardly, the two were practically identical, but the difference in power was astounding. The jutsu complete, Hatake looked up, cold fury in his eye. He wouldn't need the Sharingan for this one, not with Zabuza held down by the Leaf jounin's ninken. "Die."

He rushed forward.

* * *

"Zabuza-san!" Haku fazed out of sight, forcing Gohan and Naruto's conversation to a halt.

* * *

Zabuza shut his eyes, giving in to the cowardly instincts that hadn't shown themselves since before he was a genin. This was it!

There was a sickening 'splurch' and Zabuza opened his eyes, marveling at how painless Kakashi's jutsu was. Blood splattered him as his eyes opened. And they opened wide, matching Kakashi's surprised look, when he saw just whom the other jounin had hit.

Impaled on the Konoha-nin's electrically charged fist was Haku, eyes glassy with the look only a corpse could have.

Zabuza looked on helplessly, strange new emotions that came from nowhere swirling inside of him as he watched his best tool…no…his only _friend_ crumpled to the deck of the bridge, laying there without so much as a single twitch when Hatake withdrew his hand. Kakashi looked close to startled as tears, actual _tears_, welled up in the missing-nin's eyes.

* * *

Gohan shuddered as a ki signature was violently snuffed out.

"Hey, Gohan?" Naruto's voice held concern for the saiyan. One moment the two had been talking, and the next the warrior was leaning even more heavily on the mirror, sweat beading on his face, even with the chilly temperatures that came from the mirrors.

"Some…Someone just died." Gohan said with a shudder. It was a feeling he'd felt several times before, but never got used to no matter how often it happened. "I think it's that ice kid." He _was_ the only candidate. He'd vanished, then a second later, the ki had vanished. As if to prove Gohan's point, the ice mirrors shattered as one with the sound of breaking glass, diamond-like fragments glinting in the sun as the fell in slow motion towards the ground.

Now it was Naruto's turn to go pale as the realization dawned on him. "No. Not him! He doesn't deserve this!" Without waiting a second longer, the loud genin hurtled off toward the dissipating mist cloud, ignoring the other boy's yells to come back.

"Dammit!" Gohan swore, not bothering to wonder what his mother would've thought of his language. He shoved to his feet and staggered off, going after the blond before he did something stupid.

* * *

Kakashi watched impassively as Zabuza looked at Haku's body with dead eyes, looking for all the world like a man who was totally out of his element. The feelings of grief. It was a whole new and strange experience for the Demon of the Mist.

Harsh laughter caught everyone's attention and there was a flicker of emotion in Zabuza's eyes, and it didn't look friendly either. The annoying 'tap-tap' of an expensive cane began sounding as Gatou strode onto the bridge, looking smug, with a miniature army of ronin, thugs, and assorted criminals in tow, all leering at the weary shinobi.

'This is bad,' Kakashi thought numbly, not wanting to go against so many enemies in his current state. 'We're all too tired to fight, not against these numbers.'

"Well well!" The tiny businessman crowed triumphantly as he continued his advance on the ninja. "You sure talk big, Zabuza. I expected a little bit more out of ya." He looked down his bespectacled nose at Haku's corpse with a superior look on his face. "Even you little boyfriend bit it."

Rage passed through Zabuza's eyes at the insult.

"Kakashi." The Demon's voice was weary and low, probably because of anger and fatigue combined with loss. Knowing he had the jounin's attention, Zabuza continued. "It looks like I've been betrayed, which means my contract is null." He didn't have to finish.

The scarecrow nodded in agreement. "Right. So. What're we gonna do about this little…jam that we're in." Zabuza wasn't given a chance to respond.

"Well Zabuza, it's been fun, but it's time for you to disappear now. I'm sure that you'll see this little runt in Hell!" That was when Gatou made the biggest and last mistake of his life.

He spit on Haku's body.

Kakashi blinked and Gatou was falling back with his chest brutally slashed open, blood spraying everywhere, face frozen in surprise and pain. Zabuza's sole good arm dropped, his zanbatou falling from limp fingers to clatter to the ground, the wielder no longer having the strength to swing it.

"Boss!" One of the ronin cried. It wasn't so much the fact that he was loyal to Gatou, but more of the fact that he wanted to get paid. The disowned samurai's face contorted with rage. "You bastard!" Before Kakashi could move to help, Zabuza was run through by a lightning-fast iaido draw that seemed to defy its user's grubby appearance.

The Mist-nin just looked down numbly at the red blade that stuck out through his stomach. He coughed and blood soaked the bandages covering his mouth. He grinned at the men that surrounded him, leering at every single one, as if daring them to try an attack.

"Damn you!" one of the other henchmen shouted, holding his yari high. "Don't get cocky when you're about to _die_!" Kakashi watched, horrified, as the tip was buried into Zabuza's already ravaged shoulder.

"Zabuza!" the Copy-Nin shouted as he drew a kunai and prepared to help out. It didn't matter that the two had been enemies just minutes ago, no one deserved the slow death that Momochi was clearly going to get.

"No!"

Zabuza's shout brought the jounin up short. The missing-nin looked at his former adversary and shook his head. "No Kakashi! I'm gonna kill this riffraff myself. If we hadn't met Gatou, Haku would still be alive." An insane light that Kakashi had gotten accustomed to seeing directed at him entered the Demon of the Mist's eyes and killing intent swept over the battlefield. "I'm gonna make that bastard pay by killing everyone associated with him!"

Zabuza's one good hand began flashing together in one-handed seals. The henchmen seemed to realize what that meant and they all rushed forward to stick the helpless missing-nin with their weapons, hoping to kill him before he finished his jutsu. Hatake recognized the sequence, even without the Sharingan. After all, Zabuza had used it on Gohan not too long ago.

"Suiton! Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

From below the bridge, a churning could be heard as the ocean below began to writhe and toss. A shrieking roar filled the air as a column of water shot high into the sky and took on the form of a dragon with sinister yellow eyes.

"What the hell is that!" One thug shouted, just before the creature lunged and swept over them, slaughtering all the opposition with impunity, either crushing them with tons of water or drowning them in an instant.

Zabuza was in the middle of it all.

Kakashi ran over to the other shinobi, expecting him to be dead, but the second jounin was still clinging to life, despite the weapons in him and the damage done by his own jutsu. The masked shinobi didn't ask why Zabuza had done what he did. It had pretty obvious that the missing-nin had blamed Gatou for what had happened to Haku, and there was a sick and twisted logic to the dying shinobi's thinking.

"Ka..kashi…" Momochi gasped out, hacking from the water and making more blood stain the bandages that hid the lower half of his face. "Take…me…to…" He didn't need to finish. Kakashi picked up the other jounin and carried him to the motionless form of his best weapon and friend. As Hatake set Zabuza down, he couldn't help but marvel at what the other ninja had done. It had been a stupid and ridiculous action, but the missing-nin hadn't had a choice. He'd been mortally wounded anyway. He'd probably thought it would be best to go out with a bang.

Gohan watched as life continued to slip away from Zabuza. He felt sorry for the guy, he really did. It had taken the death of his friend to make him realize what the concept meant.

"Kakashi?" He asked tentatively. "Will he…" The Z fighter trailed off as the masked man shook his head before Gohan had even finished speaking.

"No. He was hit by too many weapons and he's inflicted even more injury to himself by using the Suiryuudan on himself." There was a somber pause as the two lapsed into silence, watching the blood pool beneath Zabuza and the sky begin to get cloudy as a high-level overcast blew in.

A shock ran through both warriors without warning. A quick look at Zabuza's corpse told them everything they needed to know. He was gone, the flinty eyes, once filled with malice and bloodlust, were now blank and glassy. They wouldn't be terrifying anyone ever again.

"Is this the first time you've ever seen someone die?" Kakashi's question caught the other fighter off guard and all he managed in response was an eloquent 'Huh?' Hatake repeated his question and Gohan's eyes shadowed as he hung his head.

"I wish I could say it was…" He trailed off and the jounin knew that no other explanation would be forthcoming. The Copy-nin felt a rush of sympathy for the boy. Gohan wasn't that old, so if he'd already seen death, he'd have been _very_ young indeed.

"Well, that's one person I won't have to give the death speech to," The silver-haired shinobi sighed to himself as he turned around and began walking back to where Sakura and Tazuna were.

"I'll get Naruto," Gohan volunteered and headed for the stricken-looking blond a few yards away. With a thrill, the half-saiyan realized that Naruto had probably seen the whole encounter with Zabuza.

'Great. Looks like Kakashi will have to give that speech sooner than he thought.'

"Gohan?" Naruto asked, his voice devoid of emotion, his eyes conveying nothing but shock. Unlike Gohan, who's first brush with death had been to witness his father's and uncle's deaths at the hands of his eventual sensei, Piccolo. Raditz hadn't been any cause to loose sleep over, but Goku's death had torn the young fighter up for days during his time in the wild. "What happened?"

"Suicide," the other boy sighed in return, running a hand through his shaggy hair. His mom insisted that he get it trimmed, but Gohan had been able to stave her off in the months since the Cell Games. "Zabuza and Kakashi beat each other up pretty badly and when Gatou's goons showed up, well…" He gestured to the devastation behind him, letting the scene behind him do the talking, complete with soggy bodies, puddles of diluted blood and a very soggy bridge.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke's still form. "What about…"

"He's not dead," Gohan interrupted. "I dunno what you saw that made you go crazy, but when I looked he had a faint heartbeat and he was breathing." He looked at the motionless avenger as well. "I didn't _do_ anything 'cause I wasn't sure about the needles." The young Z fighter wasn't too keen on pulling out the needles only puncture Sasuke's heart and kill the avenger for real. Now he approached the motionless boy and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Help me, maybe Kakashi will know what to do."

Naruto looked frozen by indecision, but eventually nodded and jogged over, slinging Sasuke's other arm over his shoulder. Together the two boys half-carried-half-dragged the unconscious Uchiha over to the others.

* * *

Kakashi was busy discussing what they would do now with Tazuna and Sakura when the kunoichi abruptly screamed and ran off behind the jounin. Hatake looked over his shoulder and his visible eye widened when he beheld what Sakura had been screaming about.

Naruto and Gohan, bloody and tattered, were walking slowly over to them, dragging the limp form of Uchiha Sasuke between them. Kakashi was stricken with a sudden burst of grief as he beheld what he believed to be the avenger's body.

The genin's feet were dragging on the ground with a rough rasping noise and his head hung limp, lolling from side to side with each step of his two supporters. It was faint, but the jounin could also see a darker spot on his chest, barely visible against the deep navy blue of his shirt. In the center of that spot was a bright speck. Kakashi wondered what it was for a second then he realized it was one of that ice-nin's senbon.

"Damn," he swore softly, before he followed the team's kunoichi who had reached the other two and was busy sobbing her eyes out over the pale boy. Up close, Sasuke was even worse looking. Dried blood clung to the side of his face and there was a streak on the corner of his lips too, a bad sign for sure. Sasuke's skin was pale, even compared to normal. Before the jounin could ask how the kid had died, Gohan spoke.

"Kakashi, you gotta pull that needle in his chest out." At seeing the shinobi's inquiring gaze, the warrior continued, "He's still alive, but in some kind of death-like sleep."

Surprise rippled through Kakashi and he leaned in closer to inspect the area where the senbon had lodged. Drawing on the dusty knowledge he had from his ANBU days, the Copy-Nin realized that the needle had missed the fatal pressure point by just a few millimeters. It was too close to be a chance. The ice-nin had deliberately aimed to disable and not kill.

"You're right, Gohan," He murmured, almost too softly for the others to hear. Ignoring Sakura's noises of disbelief, the jounin reached up and placed the needle between his index and middle fingers, pinching gently to insure that the senbon wouldn't move that crucial few millimeters and kill Sasuke. He grasped the tip with his other hand and pulled, guiding the weapon out of the Uchiha's chest with a precision that only a high-ranked shinobi could have.

Once the needle was free, the group waited with bated breath to see how fast the stoic kid would come around. One minute passed. Then two. Halfway through that second minute, Kakashi began to doubt if he'd pulled it out properly. Just as Sakura began to shake with held back sobs, Sasuke stirred and opened dark eyes, taking in his predicament and surroundings in a couple of seconds.

While happy tears streamed silently down Sakura's face, Kakashi looked at the young genius as he gingerly stepped back from Gohan and Naruto's support, swaying a little.

"How do you feel, Sasuke?" Hatake asked.

"Like a pincushion," the protégée replied evenly, his face giving away nothing. He rolled a shoulder. "But, I think I'll live."

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted, getting within inches of Sasuke's face. "You damn near gave me a heart attack! If you do that again, I'll kill you!"

The dark-haired shinobi smirked. "Like you could." Even as the two went back and forth, it was clear to everyone that Naruto was relieved to see the grim kid alive and well. The other three members of the group just exchanged glances as the two continued, arguing like no tomorrow.

* * *

Three weeks later and Team Seven stood on the completed bridge that linked Wave Country with the mainland. All of the shinobi were packed to travel and Gohan had on his cape, figuring he might as well get something out of the journey to Konoha no matter how small.

"See you around, Inari!" Naruto called, waving at the young boy with a grin. "You better not cry anymore!" The kid shot back with a faint retort, but was drowned out by the rest of the village, which had turned out in force to see off their heros, all waved and shouted good byes and other various wishes before the group turned and headed off down the bridge, their next destination being Konoha.

All too soon, the salty smell of the sea faded, and the deep thumping of the waves on the cliffs faded not too long after. It was just a little past noon and the dirt road the shinobi walked down was dappled with the shadows of the trees that stood thick on the sides of the quiet lane. None of them were willing to break the peace that hung around them and even Naruto seemed to be content to listen to the rhythmic scraping of the group's feet and the warbling cries of various birds.

Gohan was felling relaxed to the highest degree, breathing in the pure air, heavily scented with the perfumes of flowers. He tended to reflect on things in utter silence like this and he stayed true to form, lapsing into his memories of the battle three weeks ago, eventually centering on his failed transformation.

'Why didn't it work?' he wondered to himself pondering everything that he'd seen and felt during the process. He'd done it the same way he'd been doing it since he and his father had pushed themselves to the max in the special room in Dende's Lookout. The lightning had been something new, though.

There had been lighting during the switch before, but it was fleeting and never lasted like it had during the fight. The Ascended Super Saiyan form, what Gohan had come to call Super Saiyan 2, had lightning, but it was static electricity even at its strongest. What really concerned Gohan, though, was the glass ceiling he'd hit towards the end. He'd hit it and been blown away by his own power. He'd never had this problem before, so why now? Nothing had been strange until…_the dimension switch!_ Could that be the cause?

The Super Saiyan didn't remember much about the transition, but he did remember being hit by some weird light that had burned him like a branding iron. It was like…It was like his power had been sealed away behind some kind of barrier. Gohan frowned to himself. Seals were unheard of in his dimension, unless you counted the one that had sealed Bojack away, and the one that had kept the old Piccolo locked up tight…Garlic Jr. didn't count, that had been another dimension. In the long history of his universe, there were only two instances of seals that he knew of.

Seals were much more prevalent in this dimension, so maybe someone here would know the answer. The young half-saiyan's eyes fell on the jounin he was walking next to down the shady lane. When they made camp, he'd talk to Kakashi about it. He hoped it would be one on one. Gohan didn't mind if the others knew he was a Super Saiyan, but for some reason, he wanted to keep it under wraps for as long as he could.

* * *

Team Seven kept walking until twilight was well underway and the sun was only half visible above the horizon to the west. Camp was pitched in no time at all, thanks to Naruto using a small army of Kage Bunshins to help set up. Getting a fire going was a snap. Who needed tinder when you had Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu? After that was done, Kakashi sent the four kids to go get dinner while he made sure camp was set up right (meaning he was going to read 'Icha Icha').

Gohan was no fool and saw his chance. While the others were still fishing, he fazed into the stream, grabbed the first big salmon he saw, and fazed out before the other three even realized what had happened.

Kakashi looked up in mild surprise when Gohan strode back into camp, soaking wet, with a huge salmon slung over his shoulder. Hatake knew that the young man wanted a word with him, if the looks he'd been tossing Kakashi's way since leaving Tazuna's were any indication. The movements the half-saiyan made while setting up his fish were almost mechanical and there was a faint glaze in his eyes as if his mind was elsewhere. He finished the set-up and simply stared into the fire for a minute, contemplating something.

Hatake decided he would make the opening move. "Gohan? Something wrong?"

The formidable fighter stood and nodded, keeping his eyes on the crackling flames. "Yeah."

"What?"

"Remember what happened when I fought that ice guy back in the village?"

Kakashi blinked, trying to remember _which_ part. That whole fight had been full of surprises, from Kekkei Genkai to a glimpse of Armageddon. "You mean the part where the world came close to ending?" It was an attempt at humor, but Gohan flinched.

"That's the one. Listen, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the others." Kakashi nodded, knowing that this was something Gohan wanted to confide in him and him alone. "Well…" He proceeded to tell Kakashi the whole story, explaining what a Saiyan and a Super Saiyan were and what had transpired at the bridge. At the end, the sliver of Kakashi's face that could be seen looked pensive.

"Hm…You say that this is the first time this has happened, right?" Gohan nodded. "And it never happened back in your dimension?"

Gohan shook his head. "No. Not even transforming for the first time was this hard." Kakashi glanced around and decided they were alone.

"Show me." Gohan looked wary, but he sank into his stance all the same. "Wait. Take the cape and gi top off. I think that whatever this is is probably on your chest somewhere, seals like this usually are for some reason." The fighter shrugged, trusting the jounin and proceeded to shuck the requested items, allowing the top to fall around his waist.

"Ready?" The kid asked. Kakashi nodded, preparing for the onslaught once again. Gohan began his drawn-out kiai and the blue aura blasted into existence. The power up continued on, sending dust and stones everywhere and even peeling off the bark on some of the trees in the clearing where the group was camped. The earth beneath Gohan fractured and a 'whump' of displaced air blew a sizeable depression in the ground.

Kakashi continued to stare, expecting to see the seal at any minute as the Super Saiyan's aura blasted out of existence, though the wind and earthquake continued. A second later, gold energy appeared around Gohan's feet and flashed into a brilliant aura of gold flame, outlining the Z fighter and giving off its distinctive high-pitched pulsating chirping noise.

Then the kanji appeared.

Lighting streamed into the sky, twisting into the double helix from before then the electricity reversed direction and Gohan yelled in pain before a pulse of white light blew him off his feet and sent him flying. He would've been knocked out again from hitting a tree if Kakashi hadn't caught him with a quick Shunshin no Jutsu. After Kakashi had used his own army of shadow clones to set up the camp again since it had been blown over by Gohan, the jounin looked at the kid again as he pulled on his top and cape.

"Well?" the fighter asked.

Kakashi sighed. "I think you're right about the mark being a seal. But I can tell you that I have neither the knowledge nor the power required to break it." A downcast look flooded the saiyan's eyes. He felt crushed. What if he actually ran into a situation that warranted a change? If he couldn't transform, his ass was grass. "However, I'm sure someone in Konoha will know."

"Who?" Gohan asked in a forlorn voice. If Kakashi couldn't do it, then who could?

"There's Tsuanade-hime and Jiraiya-sama of the Sannin and their teacher, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi-sama. If anyone will know how to break this seal, it'll be them." Gohan's eyes showed doubt. Kakashi sighed. "Look, of those three, Jiraiya is the one who had the best chance. He's a master of Fuuinjutsu, but the other two aren't too shabby either. You also have a chance at it."

The demi-saiyan's head tilted. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Seals can be broken through sheer force, and you have more force than anyone I've ever seen. You could've given Arashi-sensei a run for his money and I can offer no higher compliment than that." It was true. Even after his sensei's death, Kakashi still held the man on a pedestal, even though he knew that the inventor of Hiraishin and Rasengan was only human. "I'll bet if you throw as much ki as you can, despite the effects, at the seal, it'll shatter. I'm not saying it will be easy, but I'm sure if worse comes to worse, you could break it."

After two run ins with this seal, Gohan was sure that breaking the seal with force would be the last thing he did. "So, any ideas on why I got this thing in the first place?"

Kakashi scratched his mask. "I'm not a seal master, not by a long shot, but I do have a theory." Seeing his companion was all ears, the jounin continued. "I think that it's all about balance. See, nature is about balance, and I'm sure that tendency transcends dimensions as well. What happens when you put oil on top of water and shake it?"

"It mixes, then separates."

"Right. In other words, it returns to balance. It's the same with temperature. If I open a cold room and a hot room, one will warm and the other will cool until they're almost equal."

"Or you could say that they're balanced!" Gohan finished.

Kakashi nodded, glad the kid had caught on so fast. "I think that it was the same with your coming here. If you'd come from you dimension as you were, you would've thrown out the balance of our world."

"So what you're saying is, the dimension sealed off my power to decrease it enough to where it wouldn't upset the balance?"

"I think so."

"So what would happen if I broke the seal? Would it just reset?"

That question gave Kakashi pause. He scratched his mask absently as he compare what he'd seen from Gohan so far to beings he knew in this world. "Hard to say," he said finally. "My opinion is that you'd be fine. You're strong, there's no doubt about that, but there are creatures here who outclass you. The Kyuubi, for instance. Personally, I feel that introducing someone of your strength all at once would've done something bad, so nature decided to prevent it, but now that you're here, if that power were reintroduced, it wouldn't do anything major." He eye-smiled. "Aside from giving us all heart attacks from what your transformations do to the world around you."

This time Gohan smiled feebly at the humor, but he still felt naked being in a world where his greatest trump card was beyond his reach for now. "You're sure about this?"

"No. I've seen and done a lot during my time as a shinobi, but you're the first person I've ever met who's from another world. Everything I've said is just speculation based on what you've told me." Kakashi shrugged. "I think that it's the most probable theory though, if it's any consolation."

Gohan was spared answering by the arrival of the rest of the group, who promptly started bombarding the pair with questions about the phenomena brought by the son of Goku's second transformation attempt. He stared into the fire as Kakashi deflected the questions and made the others sit down and cook.

* * *

Three days passed by quickly as Kakashi increased the pace to get the team back to Konoha to collect their pay and file the after action report with the Hokage. The night of his discussion with Gohan, Kakashi had summoned Pakkun and sent him ahead with a missive explaining the incident with the Super Saiyan and the request to file the report in private with only Kakashi, the Sandaime, and Gohan present. Now the team stood before the gate to Konoha, Sakura and Naruto jabbering excitedly about being back home after almost a month's absence. Gohan was looking through the yawning portal at the bustling street before them, line with shops and people giving those shops business, and at the most distinctive feature of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the Hokage Monument.

On the ridge that towered over the entire village were four faces, each the size of a house and elegantly shaped out of the rock on which they sat. Naruto was the first one to see where Gohan was looking.

"That's the Hokage Monument!" he said excitedly. "Every Hokage ever has had their face up there and someday, I'm gonna be up there too!" He looked at his instructor. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, can we go? I wanna go find Iruka-sensei and get some Ichiraku!"

"Sure, go ahead. You three are free for the day. I've gotta take Gohan here to the Sandaime so we can get approval for him to be here. I'll take care of the report and get you guys' pay mailed to you." Sakura and Naruto cheered and all three genin jumped away, bounding across rooftops on their way home or whatever they had planned to do that day.

Kakashi looked down at the caped teen next to him. "Well Gohan, you ready?"

"Sure, let's go."

The pair strode off down the street heading for the Hokage's tower.

* * *

Well, there you have it. Gohan's in Konoha now and he gets to meet Sarutobi and a few other charachters. I know that this chapter didn't have much action, but it was just intended to get Team Seven back to Konoha and explain the kanji that the dimension warp gave Gohan. Anyway, Read and Review.

**Glossary**

**Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Dragon Skill/Technique):** THis makes a big ass dragon out of water and it basically eats the enemy. Needs a sizable source of water nearby to work.

**Iaido:** Sometimes called Iaijutsu or in a certain manga, Battoujutsu. As in Rurouni Kenshin, it's a fast draw, designed to kill the enemy in a single stroke.

**Yari:** Japanese spear. No not a Naginata, which has a curved blade. This sucker has a straight blade on it, or it can have a blade with a projection called a jitte. (Correct me if I'm wrong on the projection part).

**Raikiri (Lightning Edge/Blade): **A souped up version of the Chidori. Some people think that it's the same, but I'm inclined to believe that the Raikiri is a tad more powerful, kinda like the difference between a Kamehameha and a Super Kamehameha.

**Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God Technique/Skill):** One of two signature jutsu used by the Yondaime. He was able to teleport to any location as long as that location had the required seal. If my knowledge is correct, he engraved it on a kunai so he could throw it then teleport after it. This jutsu is how Namikaze Minato got the name Konoha's Yellow Flash. Long story short, it's Naruto's version of Instant Transmission.

**Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere):** Basically a ball of chakra that can drill through damn near anything or anyone. Second signature jutsu of the Yondaime. Pretty much a handheld hurricane.


	7. Konoha

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

Last time: Gohan gets a theory about the seals on him.

This time: Chichi and Bulma have a meeting and Gohan meets some new people.

* * *

As Gohan and Kakashi made their way to the Tower for an audience with the Sandaime, in another world there was also a meeting happening, but it was of a much less happy and casual nature.

"WHAAAAAT!?"

The shout that came from the small house on the top of Mt. Paozu seemed to shake the world and birds in the forest took flight in terror at the sheer viciousness in the screaming voice.

Inside the house, Son Chichi, Gohan's mother was on her feet with a knocked over chair behind her and her hands on the table. She was looking at the blue-haired woman straight across from her, who was hiding behind the shoulder of a tough-looking man with a widow's peak and gravity-defying hair.

"Waddaya mean that Gohan's gone!?" Chichi demanded, glaring at Bulma as the other woman cowered behind her husband, Vegeta. Vegeta wasn't there because he wanted to be. In all honesty, he'd rather be miles away from Kakkarot's house in this situation, but his wife had demanded that he come or he didn't get dinner. It wasn't until Bulma had explained what'd happened in the lab that the Prince of Saiyans regretted his decision to come along.

Even a Super Saiyan couldn't stand up to the wrath of Son Chichi where her sons were concerned.

"Umm, well, Chichi, it's just like I said," Bulma answered nervously. "Gohan was helping me out with an experiment I was running and well…He sorta…fell…through."

Chichi's face went through a series of angry contortions and she glared at the inventor. "So you're saying that there's no way he can come back!?" she shrieked, making Vegeta wince. Saiyans had more sensitive hearing than humans after all. His patience with the whole situation had reached its limits too.

"That's what she said, woman," he said in a rough and abrasive tone. "How many more times do you want it to be said?"

"Why you…_You keep out of this_!" Chichi yelled, making Bulma hide behind Vegeta's shoulder again. This was why the Prince was here. To be her bodyguard in the hopes that he'd be able to do something if Chichi got mad, though privately, both of them knew that there was nothing that he could do if Chichi started swinging that frying pan of hers.

"Now now, Chichi, calm down. I'm sure Bulma meant no harm," Ox King said gently, trying to calm his raging daughter down. He'd come by to see his two grandsons only to find that Goten was asleep and Gohan had been missing for a few weeks now.

A vein was going in the pissed off mom's forehead as she forced herself into the chair her father had set upright. "How long will it take to bring my Gohan back?" She demanded.

Bulma came out from behind Vegeta, knowing she had to be careful here or she'd find herself with a frying pan sticking out of her forehead. "Uh, well. I don't know how long it'll take, Chichi." She said softly. "A while though. I have to rebuild the generator from scratch."

The woman of the Son household's ear twitched and she lunged for a cupboard and pulled out her frying pan. "WHAAAT!?" Ox King lunged and grabbed his daughter around the waist as she raised the pan and got one foot on the table, but even the mammoth man's stupendous strength couldn't stop the wife of Goku.

"Chichi wait!"

It was too late and Chichi began her swing. Bulma yelped and grabbed Vegeta, pulling him in front of her like a human shield.

"HEY! WAIT! ONNA, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" He yelled over his shoulder, but looked back around when a shadow fell over his face. He saw the burnt steel bottom of the frying pan. There was a tremendous 'clang' that rocked the top of the mountain and Vegeta fell unconscious with a square mark on his face.

Chichi raised her now-deformed frying pan for another strike as Bulma heaved her husband up and bolted from the house, running as if the devil herself was after her.

Sure enough, Chichi was following, brandishing the pan and yelling obscenities, her father still cling to her waist, bouncing along on the ground.

"Chichi! Stop!"

"Shut UP, Dad!"

Bulma reached into her jacket and pulled out a capsule that she threw. The capsule exploded and revealed a sky car, into which she threw the unconscious Vegeta and hopped into the driver's seat. The car bolted into the sky as Chichi raged below, her father still holding onto her.

"Get back here! I'm gonna tan your hide!"

Inside the house, the one-year-old Goten watched from his crib as his mommy did funny things in the front yard and he giggled, clapping his pudgy hands in approval.

* * *

Elsewhere, Son Gohan was oblivious to his mother's ranting, but for some reason, a chill ran down his spine and he looked around, as if expecting to see Chichi looming behind him with that frying pan in her hands.

Kakashi noticed his charge's sudden nervousness.

"Something wrong, Gohan?" He asked mildly.

Gohan shook his head. "No. I've just got this feeling that my mother's not too happy right now." He shivered, a look of nervousness on his face. "She's got a wicked arm, especially with that frying pan. Even Dad doesn't like it."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. "Your father? Isn't he the one that's saved your world and others several times over?"

The demi-saiyan nodded. "Yeah, and Mom scares even him."

"Sounds like I wouldn't want to cross her."

Gohan shook his head vigorously. "No you don't trust me. But usually she's really nice, it's just when she gets mad that you have to watch out." He shuddered again. "The problem is she's got a really short fuse."

Kakashi shrugged. It wasn't like he was going to meet Gohan's mother anyway. Not unless he decided to visit Gohan in his dimension anyway. "Well, never mind that now. We've got a meeting with the Sandaime. It's better if we don't keep him waiting."

"Right."

The pair continued their trek towards the Tower, Gohan looking around in amazement. He started when a shinobi dropped out of the sky from out of nowhere and vaulted back into the air, landing on the power lines and running off ahead of them.

Kakashi noticed the boy's stunned expression and the person who'd caused it. He grinned, the expression hidden beneath his mask. "Watch him," the jounin said, making Gohan break his gaze from the other shinobi to look at him. "He's gonna get busted here in a minute."

Gohan watched and, sure enough, almost as soon as the word left Kakashi's mouth, a cloaked and masked ninja popped out of thin air. The first shinobi skidded to a stop on the lines and looked sheepish. Words were exchanged between the two and the masked ninja reached into his cloak and withdrew a small sheet of yellow paper and handed it to the disgruntled-looking shinobi who pocketed it and dropped off the line, heading away on rooftops instead. The masked shinobi watched him go then made a hand sign and disappeared in a burst of smoke.

"ANBU," Kakashi said with a little laugh at Gohan's expression. "The Special Forces for Konohagakure. One of their secondary duties also happens to be doing some minor police work." His eye darkened. "They're good at what they do. Don't cross them and you'll be fine."

Gohan nodded with a little grin. Unless he was very much mistaken, that shinobi had just gotten a ticket. Finally the duo arrived at the Tower and were waved through by the two ninja at the entrance who were dressed like Kakashi with black bodysuits and green vests.

The tower was alive with activity, shinobi constantly entering and leaving, some with exhausted looks on their faces, others with excitement, boredom, or trepidation. Inside there was a massive room with a long table at one end and three or four other ninja seated behind it, clearly the ones handing out missions. One of them saw Gohan and Kakashi and stood up.

"Kakashi-san, Hokage-sama is waiting for you upstairs. He'll see you as soon as you get there."

Kakashi nodded and clapped Gohan on the shoulder, guiding the boy up a spiraling flight of stairs and past several doors. Finally the stairs ended and they exited into the open air. The half-saiyan could see that they were about halfway up the tower and still had some ways to go. The two headed up a flight of stairs that wrapped around the outside of the tower and gave an unobstructed view of the four heads of the Hokage Monument before taking them back inside and down a hall lined with ink paintings and a lush carpet. At the end were two more masked ANBU who nodded to Kakashi as if they knew him and opened the doors for him.

Inside was a room with wrap around windows that showed the monument through them and just in front of them was a finely-crafted desk with stacks of paper on it and a grizzled old man seated in the large chair behind it. The doors boomed shut and the old man looked up and smiled kindly.

"Ah, Kakashi. You've returned from the Wave Country I see."

Kakashi nodded and the old man stood up and looked down at Gohan who looked back with a puzzled look. The man had on a wide triangular hat that was solid red except for a little diamond shaped patch of white on it on which the symbol for fire was clearly visible. Cloth fell from the underside and hid his ears. The man was swathed in red robes held closed with a white sash and there was a white haori over the red robes.

"And this would be the mysterious boy you told me about?"

"Yes Hokage-sama. This is Son Gohan and he arrived here via means that would boggle even a Kami."

The Hokage strode out from behind his desk and walked over to Gohan to better take in his appearance. "Indeed." He made one round trip around the nervous saiyan before stopping and offering his hand with a kindly smile. "I am Sarutobi Sanosuke, the Sandaime Hokage my boy."

Gohan grasped the old guy's hand. "I'm Son Gohan. Thank you for letting me into the village, Sarutobi-sama."

The old man laughed heartily. "Well, at least you have manners! I thought that you'd be like Naruto after reading Kakashi's report!"

Gohan blinked. "You know Naruto?"

Sarutobi smiled jovially. "Of course! That little trouble-maker is in here every day of the week if he isn't out on a mission!" Gohan grinned. He could get to like this Hokage. He was obviously an honorable man and in Gohan's mind that went a long way. Now the Sandaime turned serious. "Now, Gohan-kun, we must find some accommodations for you and see about getting you some money for your stay here in Konohagakure." He tapped his bearded chin. "We do have a welfare system in place. I suppose we could get some resources out of there and…"

"Please sir, I don't want anyone to be pitying me like this." Three eyes turned onto Gohan after he spoke. "I can find my own way and get my own food and things. I really appreciate what you're doing for me, but I can pull my own weight."

The Third smiled. "Kakashi, you've got a real independent kid here," he remarked, to which the saiyan colored slightly. The old man looked at the Copy-nin. "I don't suppose you have a solution to this problem do you?"

Kakashi blinked a couple of times before speaking. "Well, Gohan did help us out with the mission in Wave. I don't suppose that he could receive the pay for the mission could he?"

The Sandaime scowled. "That would mean cutting your teams pay again," he warned.

"How about a compromise then?" Once again, all attention turned onto Gohan. "You can keep the pay, but I get to live in the village for free as long as I do missions for the village."

The elderly Fire Shadow stroked his beard. "Yes, I suppose that could work. It still doesn't cover food though."

"But the living for free would cut the amount Kakashi would have to hold back from the others," Gohan pointed out. "Or you could pay me on commission. You know, I get paid on how many missions I do?"

"That's how all shinobi are paid with the exception of jounin and ANBU. And there's the problem of assigning you to a team…"

Kakashi spoke up. "Put him on Team Seven. I wouldn't mind having him and I don't think my team would mind, even Sasuke, though he'd never say it outright." Sarutobi nodded.

"Okay then. I'll assign Gohan-kun to Team Seven. Now there's the matter of the seal you were talking about?" He looked at the saiyan, who was suddenly looking nervous. "May I see it?"

"I guess." Gohan pulled off his gi top and prepared to transform.

"Wait." Kakashi's voice brought him up short. "Don't actually try to transform. Bring it close, but only until the seal appears. We don't need ANBU turning you into a pincushion." Gohan nodded and began raising his ki a little bit at a time. Soon enough, the kanji for one appeared. The warrior held his power there as Sarutobi leaned in, examining the brand with an expert and interested eye.

"You say you got it from switching dimensions?"

"Yes."

The village leader went to his desk and pulled out a pipe into which he tamped some tobacco and lit it, staring out the window as he did.

He took a draft and exhaled, the scent of burning socks clawing at Gohan and Kakashi's noses. "Well, it is certainly a complex and powerful seal. Kakashi's report describes you as having a fair bit of power and this seal is holding that back." He turned to face them. "I really don't see how it's possible to break it," Gohan slumped in defeat. If the wise village leader couldn't figure it out, how could he? Sarutobi spoke again. "However, if Gohan-kun will permit me to make a copy of his sea to examine in greater detail, I may be able to find a way to shatter it."

"Yes!" Gohan exclaimed without hesitation. The Hokage smiled at his enthusiasm and drew out a sheet of paper and a bit of charcoal. Placing the charcoal against Gohan's chest, he quickly sketched the thing, making sure to miss not a single detail. Then he made a set of one-handed seals and the copy shimmered.

"There. That should do it. The jutsu I just used will copy the finer details, like lines of script that are too small to be seen with the naked eye and too fine to be copied with a piece of charcoal. With this, I'll be able to study the seal closely and hopefully find a solution for you, Gohan-kun." Sarutobi strode to his desk again and reached inside, pulling out a Konoha hirai-ate, just like the one Kakashi and his team wore. "Here, wear this hirai-ate. You'll get fewer questions if you wear it around. You're a strange face in the village and people here are understandably wary of strangers, but with this, they'll see you belong in the village and will hopefully leave you alone."

The teen took the headband with a word of thanks and tied it to the sash of his gi, making sure the engraved plate faced outward, leaving the stylized leaf obvious and visible.

"Now, Gohan-kun, you may leave. I still have some things to discuss with Kakashi and I'm sure you'd like to explore the village." Gohan bowed and left, closing the door quietly behind him and leaving the tower.

He paused outside the gates to the Tower, wondering where he should head next. Konohagakure was so _big_ and there was so much to explore. Gohan shrugged, grinning like his father and ran off in a random direction, figuring he might as well get started.

* * *

Soon enough, the demi-saiyan found himself wandering down a street, looking left and right as fast as he could turn his head. Then his stomach rumbled loudly, causing some of the pedestrians to pause and look up at the cloudless sky. It was lunchtime, but Gohan hadn't the foggiest idea of where to get some food.

"Hey! Gohan!"

The warrior turned at the voice and saw Naruto waving at him with a bright grin, accompanied by a young-looking man with a scar running across the bridge of his nose.

"Naruto, hi!"

Neither noticed some of the villagers look at them with disgust and hurry off elsewhere. No one wanted to be near the demon and a stranger. How Umino-san could stand the boy was beyond the comprehension of many. "What're you doing here?"

Naruto laughed. "Iruka-sensei said he's gonna treat me to ramen for helping out against Zabuza!"

"Naruto was telling me how you took on Zabuza and his partner, Gohan-kun," the man said with a smile. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Umino Iruka by the way."

"Son Gohan, nice to meet you, Iruka-san."

"Hey, hey! Iruka-sensei, can Gohan come with us?"

Iruka grinned. "I don't see why not." He looked at the Z fighter. "Would you like to join us?"

Gohan waved his hands. "I couldn't. I don't have any money!" He looked away. "It wouldn't be right."

The scarred chuunin laughed. "It's okay, I insist. You probably don't eat as much as Naruto!"

Gohan still looked doubtful. "I dunno."

Naruto clapped him on the back. "Aww come on, Gohan! It'll be fun!"

The warrior only smiled at his friend's exuberance. "Well, okay I guess." The blond whooped happily and the trio went down the street a ways until they arrived at a small stand that proclaimed 'Ichiraku Ramen'.

Naruto laughed and ducked through the flap. "Hey! Old Man, Ayame-chan, I'm back!"

The girl working at the woks, Ayame probably, turned around and grinned when she saw the blond. "Hi, Naruto-kun! Back from your mission?"

"Yep! And now Iruka-sensei is going to treat me to ramen!" He plunked himself down and promptly ordered a bowl of miso ramen. Iruka ordered vegetable and Gohan looked over the menu inked out on the pine board behind Ayame.

"What'll it be?" Ayame asked kindly.

"Uh…beef ramen I guess." Gohan answered.

"Coming right up…uh…?"

Naruto saved Gohan the trouble. "His name's Gohan!"

"Nice to meet you, Gohan-kun." Ramen was served at that moment and the three dug in with gusto, though none more so than Naruto, who wasn't so much eating as he was inhaling. The Z fighter could only stare, having never seen someone outside the Saiyans eat so damn fast.

Iruka laughed at the look on his face. "See what I mean?" He asked. The teacher looked fondly at Naruto. "Cleans out my wallet every time we come here."

An old grizzled man came out from the back door. "That kid's the reason we give Umino-san a big ol' discount. If we didn't he'd starve!"

"Go ahead, Gohan-kun," Umino said. "Eat as much as you want."

Gohan split a pair of chopsticks and shrugged, the movement exaggerated by the wide shoulders of his cape. "Well," he replied, still uncertain. "If you insist…" He trailed off and dug in.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Iruka, Old Man Ichiraku, and Ayame were all staring, dumbfounded at what was happening before their very eyes. Son Gohan and Uzumaki Naruto were eating as if it was their last day alive. What was really amazing though is that Gohan was actually _outpacing_ Naruto. The black haired fighter had three tottering stacks of ramen bowls beside him. Naruto only had two and a half.

Iruka's chopsticks, halfway to his mouth, fell back to the table with twin clinking noises. Ayame and her father just looked at each other and then at Iruka before leaning over the table, rubbing their hands together, grinning greedily. Somewhere in the background there was the noise of a cash register opening.

"Sorry, Iruka-san," Gohan said later as the trio walked down the street, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Iruka didn't answer, just staring at the limp wallet he held in his hand with a forlorn look on his face. "I'll pay you back somehow."

That brought Iruka back and he waved his hand dimsissivly. "Don't bother, Gohan-kun," he answered, "I just never thought that I'd ever find someone who can match Naruto in an eating contest."

The aforementioned blond was walking beside them and gave a large belch, sighing in relief. "Boy that was great ramen! Thanks Iruka-sensei!" The blond hadn't even blinked twice when he'd seen Gohan's stack of bowls. If anything it made him eat even faster, his drive to be the best showing even in something as simple as an eating contest. Despite the punishment inflicted on his wallet, Iruka couldn't help but smile when he saw the pair.

'They act like brothers,' he thought with a smile. 'Gohan-kun is probably the only person in the whole village who doesn't already have some sort of previous impression of Naruto. It's something completely new to Naruto and I think he's loving that, despite maybe not even knowing himself.' The trio came to an intersection.

"Well, I've gotta get back to the academy. My class should be coming up soon, and I don't want to be late."

"I'm gonna go home and take a nap in a real bed!" Naruto proclaimed loudly, drawing scowls from some of the villagers. He noticed and leaned forward, slapping his butt with his tongue out and a mischievous look on his face.

"I think I'm going to train. I gotta work off that meal. Piccolo-sensei would kill me if I got fat." Iruka looked at the boy.

"Is this Piccolo your sensei?"

"Yeah. He's gruff most of the time, but he's a good guy deep down." The warrior looked around. "Now, is there a training area or something around here?"

Iruka nodded. "Yeah, just go down that road and keep going. You should hit the outskirts. The training areas are all there, you should be able to find one no problem."

"Thanks, Iruka-san!" Gohan called as he ran off down the street, eager to actually get the time to work out. He hadn't had the chance to do it since before the battle at Tazuna's village.

Sure enough, following Iruka's instructions, Gohan arrived at a wide, spacious training field. It was open, only a simple meadow ringed by trees that grew thickly on all four sides, except for the path that led into the field. The Z fighter grinned. It was perfect, just the open space he'd grown used to back on Mt. Paozu and the wilderness where he'd first started learning from Piccolo.

He strode to the middle of the field, his weighted cape flapping in the breeze and began stretching. Once that was done, he began to run through some katas, exaggerating the movements in order to better improve his form. As he flowed from one technique to another, his mind disengaged and went to drift somewhere while his body took over. He was reaching into that state of no-mind that all martial artists strived for. It'd been so long since he'd made it to that state. It was the first time since the Cell Games he'd been there.

There was the sound of voices and feet approaching, but the young saiyan didn't hear them, completely absorbed and consumed by his task at hand.

It was a female voice that reached the meadow first. "Really, Lee. Did you have to do that pose? You almost blinded that old lady!"

A hearty laugh followed the statement. "Poor Tenten-chan! You still have yet to appreciate Lee-kun's burning passion of youth! But fear not my student, for someday you will or my name is not Maito Gai!" From the path burst the sources of the noise. One was a boy with long brown hair held back by a Leaf hirai-ate and a tie at the end of his long hair. He had on a white shirt and brown pants. Bandages were wrapped around his right arm, but he didn't seem to be injured. Probably the boy just liked the look, though his most striking feature had to be his purple eyes.

The girl in the group had on a pink Chinese-style shirt and her hair was pulled back into twin buns. Looped over one shoulder was a thick scroll that must have weighed a decent amount. That left the last two, and what a pair they were. Both had round enthusiastic eyes with thick caterpillar-like eyebrows over them. Both wore green spandex body suits with the hirai-ate tied around their waists and orange leggings encased their calves. The only difference was the green shinobi vest that the taller of the two clones wore, denoting his higher rank in the Konoha ninja hierarchy.

"We're not alone," the boy with the lavender eyes said in a soft monotone. The other three stopped their conversation and saw Gohan out in the middle of the field, completely ignoring them and running through his forms.

"Who's that?" Tenten wondered as she looked at the boy with the messy black hair and purple gi. Around his waist was a red sash with a Konoha hirai-ate tied to it. She'd never seen him before and he wasn't a chuunin because he didn't have the vest. The only thing he had was a white cape with wide shoulders and a high puffy neck that gave the impression that his head sprouted directly from his shoulders. She knew he couldn't be a genin because they'd just passed the latest batch of nine and the next batch wouldn't come through for three months. "I've never seen him before."

Lee was observing this kid's motions with a professional and experienced eye. "He's got fantastic form, Gai-sensei."

The taller of the clones, Gai, was watching with a critiquing eye as well. "Indeed, Lee. Whoever trained him did a good job." Neji was silent, watching the boy with an unconcerned eye. Who cared who this mystery boy was? He didn't look special.

"OKAY!" Lee announced loudly. "I wish to spar with him! A test of my skill against a new opponent! Could anything be better!?"

Tenten sighed. "Oh boy. Here he goes again." Neji just closed his eyes.

"THAT'S MY LEE!" Gai bellowed, striking his 'nice-guy pose'. "Seeking battle to better yourself! I have taught you well my student!" Both master and clone ran out into the field, making a beeline for the boy.

Tenten just sighed, shrugging. "Oh well. Those two idiots will never change." She followed after her sensei and teammate at a much leisurely pace. "Coming Neji-kun?"

The stoic Hyuuga crossed his arms and followed after the kunoichi.

Gohan finished his last kata and exhaled, bringing himself back to the present. Just in time to see two green blurs shoot past him and crash into the trees to his right with a loud 'CRUNCH'. Tenten could almost see the question mark pop up over his head as he watched the two twins lay there with swirling eyes.

"Don't mind them," she said with a smile as the boy turned to look at her. "Those two are always like that. They're just special."

"Special needs you mean," groused Neji as he stalked past, going to revive his sensei and his worthless student. Tenten just sighed at her teammate's rudeness.

"Uh, don't mind him either. My name's Tenten. Nice to meet you."

Gohan smiled shyly at her. "I'm Son Gohan."

"Gohan? That's a strange name." She shrugged it off. "Well, like I said, I'm Tenten and the two clones are Gai-sensei and Lee. The guy with the purple eyes is Hyuuga Neji." She watched as her teacher and his protégé hopped upright in a blur and began laughing ridiculously, despite the massive bump each was sporting. Neji, task completed, strode over to the tree and sat down, closing his eyes, but Tenten was sure that he was watching with his Byakugan.

The smaller clone, Lee Gohan supposed, dashed over to him with a determined fire burning in his eyes. "Hello! I am Rock Lee, one of the Beautiful Green Beasts of Konohagakure, and I desire a spar with you, my unnamed opponent!" Gohan shrank back a little unnerved out by the kid's behavior. He reminded the half-saiyan strongly of that guy Mr. Satan from the Cell Games. The self-proclaimed World Martial Arts Champion had acted much in the same way.

"Lee, this is Son Gohan, and don't you think it's rude to demand a spar as soon as you meet someone?"

"But Tenten-chan," Lee whined in a manner that reminded the young caped warrior of one Uzumaki Naruto. "How am I supposed to improve if I never fight different people?"

The hearty laughing of her sensei drowned Tenten's response out. "You see my students? Lee-kun understands the path to greatness and is willing to pursue it!" He wagged a finger at Tenten. "You have much to learn, Ten-chan."

Tenten's eyebrow twitched and she grabbed her scroll and swung it, connecting solidly with Gai's head and sending him tumbling head over heels into the tree next to Neji's. While Lee looked on horrified and raced over to help his stricken idol, Tenten returned her scroll to her back. "How many times do I have to tell you?" She growled dangerously, making Gohan back up a step. "_Don't call me Ten-chan!_"

"Uh, I'll just go then," Gohan said timidly, edging away from this strange group. And he thought Team Seven was strange. This team was just plain freaky!

"Oh, okay, Gohan-kun," Tenten said. "See you around then?"

"Uh, sure." He didn't get more than five steps before a green blur cut him off. It was Lee, striking the 'nice-guy pose'.

"Not so fast! I still desire a spar!"

Tenten rubber her forehead, "Lee, quit pestering him! He probably doesn't want to…"

"Sure," Gohan said, his curiosity getting the best of him. This would be his chance to see what other shinobi in this world could do. And it wasn't like this kid would let him go anyways. Something told the demi-saiyan that this Lee would follow him to the ends of the earth to fight him.

"All RIGHT!" Lee cheered, pumping a bandaged fist in the air. Tenten huffed something that sounded like 'boys' and retreated to the tree where her sensei and other teammate sat. If Gohan wanted to fight so badly, she wouldn't stop him. The three spectators settle in to watch as the two fighters settled into their stances, Gohan's low, leaning forward with one arm held out behind him and the other in front, fingers hooked like a claw. Lee simply held his right hand up at an angle in front of him and folded the other behind him.

'Huh? What kind of stance is that?' both fighters wondered, each waiting for the other to make the first move. A minute or two passed and the only sign of movement came from the wind as it tousled the leaves of the trees, even managing to rip some loose and send them drifting over the waiting opponents. Neither blinked when the wind whistled past them or when the leaves in the wind drifted in front of them obscuring their view of the other.

"Why don't they hurry up?" Tenten asked. The pair had been just waiting around for close to two minutes now and it was starting to get dull.

"Lee is waiting for the kid to make the first move," Neji said, looking as if he was asleep.

Gai nodded, all pretense of being a fool gone. Now he was watching Gohan to learn what moves the kid knew. "Lee-kun doesn't know the abilities of Gohan-kun. To charge blindly in would be inviting disaster. Gohan-kun is probably waiting for the same."

The impatient kunoichi sighed. "So we're just going to sit here until one of them decides to take a risk?"

But Gai was wrong. Gohan wasn't waiting for Lee to move first. He was waiting for Lee's concentration to lapse…

* * *

"_Okay, kid, now listen up," The harsh voice of Piccolo demanded. "If you ever find yourself facing an unknown opponent of unknown ability, wait for his concentration to lapse."_

_Five-year-old Gohan looked up at his sensei. "Huh? What do you mean, Piccolo-san?"_

_The Namekian sighed, for some reason unable to bring himself to yell at the kid. "Look, your opponent will only be able to concentrate for a short amount of time. Watch his eyes, that's where it'll show up. The eyes will slide out of focus for a second. If you strike in that second, your opponent's reaction time will be slower than normal."_

_A cold wind whistled over the barren plateau where the pair was practicing for the Saiyan's arrival in less than a month._

"_I still don't get it." Piccolo slapped one hand to his turbaned forehead. _

"_Then stand up and get ready!" The rough alien roared. Young Gohan flinched and hastened to stand up before Piccolo-san pushed him off the cliff again. He settled into his stance and waited. And waited. And waited._

_Piccolo's hand was inches from his throat and the son of Goku hadn't even seen it coming. If it'd been a real battle, Gohan would've died._

"_See?" The warrior asked as he withdrew his long fingernails from the kid's jugular. "If you can outlast them in the waiting game, you should be able to take the upper hand." Then the two began going over that exercise again and again until Gohan had it down to a science._

* * *

'Watch his eyes,' Gohan said to himself, going over the lesson over and over. 'When his concentration slips, I'll be able to force him on the defense.' It was a risk, because if he slipped before Lee did, and the green-clad fighter knew what to look for, then it would be Gohan on the defense.

A leaf drifted in front of Gohan's eyes, but not before he saw a shift in Lee's eyes.

"RAAAAA!!"

Gohan's yell startled everyone as he launched himself forward faster than anyone would've believed.

'FAST!?' was the collective thought of the shinobi fighting and watching as Lee hopped back in an effort to get some distance between him and the onrushing saiyan warrior. The young Z fighter drew back as if he was going in with a right haymaker and Lee prepared his block and counter.

Gohan fazed out.

'What?' Lee wondered, just as he felt a presence above him. He looked up and saw Gohan dropping towards him, one leg high in the air, getting ready for an ax kick. The leg dropped and there was an explosion that sent rock and dust flying, forcing the spectators to shield their eyes. Lee emerged from the cloud, skidding backwards on the grass. Somehow, he'd managed to throw himself back and get out of the way.

The dust cleared and revealed Gohan, the leg he'd used in the kick buried in rock up to the knee, and it looked as if he wasn't able to pull it out.

"Now's your chance, Lee!" Tenten and Gai screamed together. Lee rushed in, jumped and threw a roundhouse kick.

"Konoha Reppuu!"

Gohan raised his right hand, as if answering a telephone, and caught the kick on his shoulder and upper arm muscle. Lee's round eyes widened in astonishment as his attack was stopped as if it was nothing. The other warrior struggled for a moment then yelled as he threw his arm out, knocking Lee off balance and buying himself the time he needed to wrench his leg free.

The caped fighter bounced back in a series of handsprings and skidded to a stop, snapping back into stance. Lee got himself under control and reassumed his pose as well.

A wind passed over the field, whipping Gohan's cape into a white frenzy. Neither fighter hesitated before speeding at each other again, eyes burning and fists ready to strike.

Well, There's chapter Seven. Lee and Gohan are sparring, Chichi knows just what happened to her eldest son, and Iruka knows to never _ever_ treat both Gohan and Naruto to ramen. Not bad for a chapter of mostly talk. This should also answer many of your questions of how I'm gonna get Gohan into the Chuunin Exams. Personally, I can't wait for Orochimaru to show up!

**Glossary**

**Konoha Reppuu (Leaf Whirlwind/Hurricane):** One of Lee and Gai's basic moves, it's a simple roundhouse kick done in the midst of a jump and aimed at the target's head. All too easy for Gohan to see coming. Less powerful than the Senpuu.


	8. Tested

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Last Time: Gohan explores Konoha and gets into a sparring match with Rock Lee.

This Time: The match continues and the Exams begin.

**Author's Note:** DANCE REJOICE AND BE HAPPY, ALL YE COLLEGE STUDENTS!! FOR THE BOUNTIFUL TIME KNOWN FAR AND WIDE ACROSS THE LAND AS SUMMER VACATION HATH FINALLY ARRIVED!

* * *

_A wind passed over the field, whipping Gohan's cape into a white frenzy. Neither fighter hesitated before speeding at each other again, eyes burning and fists ready to strike._

The two fighters slammed together, then became a flurry of motion. Lee pressed himself as much as he could and send attack after attack at Gohan, aiming to either slip under the dark-haired boy's guard or simply batter his defense into pieces.

Gohan leaned, flowed, blocked, deflected, doing everything he could _not_ to get hit. One of Lee's attacks came in slower than it should have and the young saiyan was able to catch it in his palm and throw it wide. Lee looked alarmed before Gohan's fist slipped through the opening and bashed into the side of his face, throwing the green-clad genin back a step or two. While Lee tried to clear the spots from in front of his vision, Gohan stepped in and landed a hard one-two combo in his opponent's midsection, winding him and doubling Lee over.

Now the caped fighter threw himself backwards, the top of one fool catching the other boy in the chin, snapping him upright and lifting him off the ground. Gohan followed through with the attack, flipping back onto his feet before leaping forward, driving the knife edge of his foot into Lee's already abused stomach, folding the lanky teen around Gohan's leg for a split second before the force of the attack transferred and Lee was _blasted_ away, slamming into an oak tree hard enough to buckle the trunk and send leaves fluttering like a swarm of incensed bees.

Gohan landed lightly on one toe, seeming to float before dropping the rest of his weight down and lowering himself into his guard.

Gai, Neji and Tenten stared openly and shamelessly at the caped Z fighter. Neji and Tenten had seen only a blur of movement before Gohan's foot had connected with Lee's chin. The rest had happened slow enough to see, but fast enough that if you blinked, all you would've seen was Rock Lee impacting the tree.

"Did you see that?" Tenten asked to both of her companions at the same time.

"No." Neji answered, deciding be civil just this once, since saying he did would've gotten him nowhere. The genius cringed as he turned to his sensei. "What happened?" he demanded of the other Green Beast.

Gai didn't answer, watching Gohan with eyes as big as dinner plates, his jaw hanging and working uselessly.

Another, bored, voice answered the Hyuuga. "Well, it seems that Lee just got his ass handed to him by Gohan." The three stunned members of Team Gai looked up and saw Kakashi lounging on the branch over their heads, perverted book in hand, other hand tucked behind his head, looking for all the world that he didn't even notice what'd happened.

Gai sprang to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at his 'rival'. "Great Rival Kakashi! What are you doing here!?"

The other jounin held up his orange book. "Reading, what's it look like?" He flipped the page and glanced over at Gohan, who hadn't moved since his blitz on Lee. "Oh, and watching the newest member of my team beat the hell out of yours." He laughed lightly at something the character in the book did, ignoring the spluttering taijutsu master below him.

"Gohan's on your team?" Tenten asked the lanky jounin, sounding surprised. "But you already have a three man cell don't you?"

Kakashi's half-opened eye regarded the kunoichi below him. "Yeah, I do, but Hokage-sama thought it would be the best way to get Gohan money and a place to stay without attracting undue attention. Though," he added, looking at the raven-haired warrior, "he seems to be doing that just fine by himself."

"Then perhaps a little wager!" Gai boomed, startling a few birds into flight, which attracted Neji's attention. "If my Lee wins, then you will change your wardrobe to that of the Splendid Green Beast and acknowledge me as the better shinobi!"

There was silence for a moment before Kakashi yawned, "Hm? You say something Gai?" He went back to his book. Gai whirled and plopped down, muttering about his rival's 'infuriating demeanor'. All attention once again focused on the battlefield as Lee stirred and stood, walking out from his landing spot with a visible limp and some nasty-looking scratches, but otherwise seemingly good to go.

Gai vaulted to his feet, teeth gleaming as he struck the nice-guy pose. "That's my Lee! Go get 'em!"

Lee heard his sensei's encouragement and prepared to strike out at Gohan once again. "I will make you proud, Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted as he sprinted in before launching himself into the air in an airborne ax-kick, reminiscent of what Gohan had done earlier in the fight. The Z fighter blocked, and was surprised when he felt his feet sink into the soil from the blow's power.

'This guy…He's good!' Gohan thought with a slight stirring of amazement. This kid, probably the same age as the demi-saiyan himself was, was actually pushing him to fight at least a little seriously. Gohan had agreed to the fight out of pure curiosity, thinking that no genin would be able to harm him. It was an arrogant thought, right on par with Vegeta at his worst, but it was true. The battles Gohan had been through here had shown him that he was on par with some of this dimension's strongest.

Or so he'd thought.

Gohan stopped Lee's sandaled foot with both hands before it could drill into his abdomen, the force from the strike actually pushing him back a few inches. The green-clad genin planted a bandaged hand on the ground and brought his other leg scything up and around, the heel of the foot catching Gohan off guard and throwing him away, a line of dirt raising up as the saiyan skidded along the ground.

Lee, contrary to what most would expect of him, didn't give off some joyful exclamation at hitting his opponent. Instead, the bushy-browed shinobi rushed forward, hoping to light into Gohan while he was down.

The Z fighter was able to vault to his feet, just in time to catch a flash of green and a cocked back fist. Gohan reacted on instinct, and that reflex almost cost Lee his life.

The warrior's hand flashed out, smacking away the incoming blow. Lee lurched and managed to stop himself, looking up right as Gohan's hand reversed direction and stopped right in front of his face, a ball of blazing yellow _something_ shining in his palm. For Lee, time stood still as he realized that he was staring his demise in the face, his blood running cold when he saw the look in Gohan's onyx eyes. There was no compassion, no light. Hell, it didn't even look like Gohan was aware of what he was doing, it was happening so fast.

Then the energy was gone, along with the hand holding it.

Gohan hissed with discomfort as his arm was wrenched back and locked high on his back. The fighter struggled for a moment before recognizing the ki that was behind him.

"Easy Gohan," Kakashi said bracingly as he struggled to hold onto the thrashing kid. The struggles ceased and the masked jounin saw and felt the tension leak out of the black-haired boy as his brain caught up with what his body was doing.

"Kakashi? What're you…?" But the jounin didn't hear him, instead looking at the green-clad shinobi, who was sitting on the ground and shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, watching Gohan with eyes that held fear and questions in them. Kakashi shook him, but the genin didn't move, so the lanky shinobi stood and came back over to the caped fighter.

"I think that's enough for today." He clapped Gohan on his shoulder and began heading away. The newest member of Team Seven watched for a moment before turning to Lee, who was by now surrounded by his teammates, all of them watching him with suspicion.

The warrior bowed. "Sorry, Lee-san. It was a reflex from my training." The excuse sounded hollow, even to him, but Gohan knew that it was true. Not wanting to be stuck there any longer than he had to in that awkward situation, he turned and hurried off to catch up with Team Seven's jounin.

"Gohan."

The teen in question looked up at his team's captain, the jounin's face cast in shadow by the thick trees on either side of the lane that they were walking down to get out of the practice area. "Huh?"

"What happened back there."

Gohan's face became downcast. "It was a reflex. I saw green and a fist." His hand clenched. It was what he'd seen when he'd fought with Cell during the Games. "It was so fast, I just reacted like I would've in a real battle." He looked up, black eyes pleading. "I didn't mean to almost kill Lee-san! Honest!"

Kakashi regarded him somberly, but then his eye curved. "No big deal. You reacted on instinct like a good warrior should. This Piccolo person who trained you did a good job." His gloved hand clapped the teen on the shoulder. "Just try not to let it happen again."

"You're not mad?"

"No. It was a normal human reaction. You should see some of the sparring matches the ANBU have sometimes. Now _that's_ a spar to see." The jounin began walking away, but Gohan's voice stopped him.

"Hey! Kakashi!"

The masked man turned back. "What?"

"Why were you there anyway? It couldn't have been just to watch me was it?"

Hatake just eye-smiled mysteriously. "I have my reasons." He resumed walking, tossing a casual wave over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow Gohan. Team Seven's going to be at the memorial stone training ground at ten a.m."

"Right! I'll be there!" Kakashi nodded then disappeared in a burst of shinobi smoke.

* * *

Gohan spent the rest of the day crisscrossing Konoha, just looking around and browsing through the various shops and stores that lined the roads. He quickly learned that there was a form of symmetry to the sprawling village. At the center of the village, abutting right against the Hokage Monument was the Hokage's Tower. Surrounding that were the official functions of the city's government, like taxes, license bureau for the various shinobi licenses, the ANBU base, and other things. Up against the financial and official district was the business district. This was where the majority of the shops and stores were located.

Farther out from that were the residential areas, which extended from the business district all the way to the walls. At the walls were three gates, each one creating a gap in the protective structure that, along with the cliff the Monument sat on, formed a half-moon around the village and its inhabitants. A road led from each gate to the Tower, allowing shinobi and visitors in a hurry to get to the center of government quickly. The districts themselves weren't cut and dry, with each one blending into the next, but you would know when you were in one by what the majority was. Gohan found the mix of chaos and order to be refreshing, along with the open skies and wide training grounds, which were located both inside the walls, in cases like the meadow field and memorial stone, to huge grounds like the Forest of Death which were located a few miles beyond the walls.

Now it was dusk and the son of Goku was looking for a place to stay. Before parting ways, Gohan had been given his share of the pay that he'd earned by helping out with Zabuza. Most of that money was gone on dinner and now the teen was hunting for an apartment. He knew that he would be able to stay at no charge to him, but first he had to find a place to stay _at_!

Gohan was wandering through one of the more rundown spots in the Residential District, still looking for a place to call his own. A lighted window caught his eye and before the saiyan warrior could float up to check it out, Naruto emerged from the sliding glass door and set out a decrepit-looking plant. Gohan figured he could impose on the blond for at least one night, so he soon found the door that led to the apartment and knocked.

The door slid open and Gohan found himself staring a surprised Naruto in the face. "Eh? Gohan? What're you doing here?"

The black-haired boy scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry Naruto, but I need a place to stay for the night, and I can't find anything. I saw you put your plant out and I figured…" He trailed off, not wanting to sound rude.

Naruto's face lit up. "Sure you can stay here! I don't mind having a roommate!" He looked over his shoulder. "But the place isn't that great."

"I don't mind, it'll be fun!" And Gohan really didn't care either. Night had long since fallen and the demi-saiyan, though he was _capable_ of it, really didn't want to rough it in a city.

Naruto grinned and stepped aside, allowing his teammate inside. "Sorry, but I don't have any spare blankets or anything." He gestured around the simple room. "I live alone, and money's always been tight so…" Now it was the blond who trailed off looking sheepish.

The saiyan grinned, the simplicity of the kitchen/dining room/bedroom reminding him of his own home on Mt. Paozu. "It's great!"

The other genin grinned. "Really? Well, you can stay for as long as you want. But," he added, "get your own ramen!" Gohan grinned as he and his new roommate got ready for bed. Soon Naruto's loud snores filled the tiny apartment and Gohan, using his cape as a makeshift blanket and pillow, soon followed.

* * *

Both boys awoke a little past nine the next morning and went about their daily rituals for the day before Naruto made some instant ramen for himself and Gohan decided, after seeing Naruto's bare cupboards, to go into town to eat.

The Z fighter emerged from an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet a while later, followed by a stuttering owner who switched the sign from 'open' to 'closed'. He was about to head for the training grounds when a familiar voice cut him off.

"Hi Gohan-kun!"

Gohan turned to face who the speaker was. "Huh? Oh! Hi Sakura!" The kunoichi on the team was dressed as she'd been during the mission and she seemed to be out on a morning stroll. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just going to walk for a bit before heading to meet Kakashi-sensei. Wanna join me?"

"But isn't it almost time now?"

The pink-haired girl snorted. "Right. The day Kakashi-sensei's on time is the day Hell freezes over. He's always late, and keeps making up dumb excuses why he couldn't make it."

Gohan shrugged. "I'm still going to go now. I could use a bit of a workout."

Sakura put her hands on her hips with a puzzled look. "Huh? You're going to train _now_?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Well, Kakashi-sensei usually trains us and it isn't easy." The girl shuddered. "I couldn't work out beforehand." She passed him and headed down the street. "Well, it's not my business. See you later Gohan-kun."

"Bye Sakura!" Gohan waved after her then jogged off for the training field, using the light run as a warm up for the training he was going to do when he got there. He arrived at the field and began to limber up with some basic stretches.

* * *

Before too long, the other members of the team arrived and found Gohan with his face in the dirt, completely oblivious to them as he did push-ups at a speed that even the most fit of shinobi would have a hard time keeping pace with. Kakashi had yet to arrive, so the four settled in to wait, Gohan dangling upside down on a tree branch and doing sit-ups.

"You're a beast Gohan," Naruto remarked as the boy's murmured counting passed the two hundred and fifty mark. "And you haven't taken a break since we got here."

Gohan grunted in response, focusing all his energy on pulling his elbows to his knees, fighting the pull of gravity and the added weight of the snow-white cape on his shoulders. Half and hour later, Kakashi finally arrived.

After Naruto and Sakura had thoroughly abused his ears, the jounin called them over and handed the four sheets of paper.

"Recommendation for Entry into the Chuunin Exams?" Naruto read off the fancy calligraphy at the head of an official-looking memo. "What is this Kakashi-sensei?"

"Just what it looks like, Naruto. I've entered the four of you into the Chuunin Exams for a shot at passing and moving higher up in the ranks." Naruto, and Sasuke exchanged eager looks while Sakura looked apprehensive and Gohan looked puzzled. The jounin continued. "You have until the end of the week to decide. If you want to take the exams, bring those letters to the Academy and take them up to room 301." The elder shinobi looked at his charges. "I'm giving you the week off in order for you four to train on your own or just take it easy until the exams. The decision to enter is yours and yours alone. If you don't want to enter, then don't." With that Kakashi made a seal and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Well _I'm_ going to enter!" Naruto shouted the moment Kakashi left. "How about you Sasuke-bastard, Gohan?"

The Uchiha smirked. "Yeah, sounds like this'll be fun."

Gohan looked at his teammates with a puzzled look. "Hey what are the Chuunin Exams?"

Sasuke snorted. "Well, seeing as you're from a different dimension, I guess I'll have to explain." The aura of a cocky prodigy fell away and the Uchiha looked Gohan dead in the eye. "It's an exam that consists of three portions. No one really knows what the sections are because it's held in a different village every six months. The Third Exam, though, is a tournament that everyone and anyone can come and watch. My dad took me once or twice, but I don't really remember it."

Gohan grinned. A Tournament? Well, that sounded a lot like the Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament from back home. It would probably be fun, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do. He regarded the parchment in his hands. "You're right, Sasuke. It _does_ sound like fun." He grinned excitedly. "I'm in!" Naruto whooped in delight and Sasuke smirked, then the three began discussing what the exams would be like.

No one noticed Sakura slip away.

Sakura found herself far away from her comrades, clutching her recommendation like it was a bomb about to explode. What was Kakashi-sensei _thinking_, she wondered. They were just a new team of genin, they hadn't even been on active duty for three months yet and already their sensei expected them to pass the exams? What was going on in that silver head of his? Her worrying took her all the way to another training ground that was on the other side of the village without her even noticing, as lost in her thoughts as she was.

She really started thinking at that point and realized that, if she didn't take the exams, Sasuke-kun wouldn't be impressed and Gohan-kun and Naruto would think she was a coward. Sakura knew she wasn't a coward, but in her distress she twisted her logic and made it seem like she was. The kunoichi plopped down under the lone tree in the middle of a field that was flat except for a middle sized rock ledge that ran along the west side. She heaved an impressive sigh and began debating with herself.

* * *

Back at the training area, Sasuke and Naruto had gone off, the Uchiha presumably to find his own training field and Naruto had said it was impossible to spar on an empty stomach. That left Gohan with no one to fight against, so he slid into a stance and began shadow boxing like he'd done back in Wave Country. Before too long, it was getting dark, and Gohan came out of the trance he tended to sink into when he was training, starting when he saw that the sun was well on its way down and a few stars were already out. He was just leaving when a voice cut him off.

"Well well. Another little Konoha-nin who's getting ready for the exams."

Gohan stopped and looked around, obsidian eyes growing serious as he flung his senses out wide, searching for the ki signature the voice belonged to. He appeared to be alone, but Gohan knew better.

"Alright," he commanded. "Come out. I know you're there!"

The river across from him exploded as something shot from its depths and sped towards the demi-saiyan. Gohan caught the flash of a kunai and he jumped, soaring a fair distance above the onrushing object's attack and touched down in the same spot he'd started from, spinning and dropping into a stance.

His assailant turned as well and Gohan blinked when he saw the foreign engraving on the hirai-ate. It was a simple four lines, but for some reason it reminded the unofficial genin of rain. "Who're you and why are you attacking me!"

The man was much taller than Gohan was, but then, the saiyan hybrid was kind of short for his age. He seemed to be made up of nothing but cloaks and bits of cloth that were sewn haphazardly together, and his face was obscured by the hirai-ate and a scrap of cloth that acted much like Kakashi's mask did. The stranger's head was topped off by a wide and flat straw hat that looked as if it extended well beyond the nin's shoulders.

The shinobi laughed at the boy's demand. "Who am I? Well, I'm just a genin like you," he said, his voice sounding like wet rags being dragged over gravel, with a bit of a smoker's cough thrown in as an undertone. "You don't need to know my name," A kunai appeared from nowhere and the man sped at Gohan again, "because you're already _dead!_"

The Rain-nin lunged.

His attack passed through thin air.

"What!?" The boy had been there one moment then the next, he wasn't. Was it some kind of jutsu or was the brat just amazingly fast?

"I haven't done anything to deserve you trying to kill me!" The shinobi whirled and there was his target, crouching on rail of the ornamental bridge that spanned the small river that marked the boundary of the training grounds.

Gohan's opponent snickered as he pulled out some shuriken. "I never said you did," The man said with a dark chuckle. "I'm just thinning out the competition!" The shuriken flashed from his hands, their blades making an ominous noise as they slashed through the air.

The boy's eyes darkened. "Well if that's the way it's going to be," he called with a warning note in his voice, "then I guess I have no choice but to fight!" He fazed out right as the throwing stars reached his position.

The rain shinobi looked around, but couldn't find the brat anywhere. Just how fast was that guy!?

"Up here!"

The shinobi looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Gohan dropping toward him with a yell, moving faster than any freefall should've allowed. It was as if the kid was controlling he descent willingly.

The shinobi jumped back, timing his evasion perfectly, forcing the boy's attack to smite the ground instead of his skull. What he hadn't counted on was the sheer _force_ Gohan was capable of. The boy's fist collided with unforgiving rock, but instead of breaking the boy's fist, the ground just shattered, throwing slabs of rock skyward, making a sound like an explosion, and putting a massive crater in the earth. The Rain-nin's eyes went wide as he felt his feet drop into space, but he caught himself of a chunk of airborne debris and rebounded, bouncing from fragment to fragment until he cleared the lip of the depression.

"Not bad, for a snot-nosed kid," the shinobi taunted as Gohan glared at him from the bottom of the crater and through a rain of falling rock, ranging in size from sand to small boulders.

"I'm going to give you one last chance!" The caped warrior called. "Leave me alone, or next time I'll go all out!"

The shinobi laughed outright. "Yeah right! Like I'll believe that!"

Gohan sighed. "Well, I _did_ warn you." He sank into a standing crouch and cupped his hands at his side. "Kaaameeehaaameee…" The darkness was lit up as a blue-white ball of ki formed in between the Z fighter's palms, glowing brighter with each passing second. "HAAAA!" The boy thrust his hands forward and the Kamehameha blasted off, throwing dust and gravel everywhere as it raced for the shinobi at the lip of the crater, who was suddenly rigid with fright.

He was lost from view as the blast of power passed over him, then continued out into the dark sky, it's progress never even slowed by the presence of the Rain-nin. Unlike in Wave Country, there was no spectacular thermonuclear-like detonation. The beam of ki just lost its brightness and width, becoming nothing but a blue line in the sky before fading from existence.

Gohan stood panting, lowering steaming hands, before looking up at the dark, diamond-studded sky, knowing that somehow the shinobi had escaped, because he never felt the man's ki snuff out. All that proved that Gohan had managed to attack him was the U shape that had been sliced out of the crater's lip, as if with a scalpel. The Z fighter took one last look around to make sure he was alone before lifting into the air and blasting off towards Naruto's in a flash of blue flame-like ki.

* * *

In Konoha's business district, on top of a pagoda-like building, Hatake Kakashi stood facing the training area where the whole battle had taken place, glancing up from _Icha Icha Paradise_ only when the Kamehameha arced into the sky, lit up the village for a brief moment, then vanished. He chuckled, but it wasn't obvious if it at the amorous antics of the character in his book or at Gohan's apparent reluctance to hold back in battle.

"So," the jounin said to thin air. "How did it go?"

The shadows shifted and the Rain-nin that Gohan had attacked appeared from out of nowhere. "That kid is something else." There was a burst of smoke and Iruka appeared, massaging his neck after being under a Henge for so long. The schoolteacher stepped up beside his superior. "Gohan-kun sure does know how to make an impression on someone."

Kakashi laughed as he flipped the page. "You really should take the Jounin Exams, Iruka," He said, seemingly out of the blue. A glance showed him the chuunin's puzzled expression.

"Why?"

"Because. The last shinobi that went toe-to-toe with Son Gohan was out of action for a week with broken ribs, more bruises than I care to count, _and_ was on the receiving end of that Kamehameha of his." Hatake looked at his companion. "You managed to get away with hardly a scratch."

Silence reigned for a moment before Iruka answered. "Yeah, maybe, but if you hadn't warned me what the set-up for the attack looked like, I would've been toast." Kakashi shrugged, noncommittally.

Once again there was silence between the two men before the jounin spoke again. "So," he said, "does this little test put your mind at ease?" He was referring to when the various jounin instructors had referred their charges for the Exams. When Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi had all put their teams up as examinees, Iruka had been the most outspoken against it, even breaching protocol by speaking out of turn in order to voice his objections.

Kakashi, on his part, knew that Gohan, Sasuke and Naruto would jump at the opportunity to strut their stuff, but he wasn't so sure about Sakura. So, to ensure that both his own doubts, and those of Iruka would be assuaged, he'd enlisted the scarred chuunin's help. Iruka, under the guise of a hostile foreign shinobi, would attack each member of Team Seven, both to gauge their abilities for himself, and to convince them that they could make it in the exams.

The result? Sakura was just as hell-bent on winning the exams as her teammates, Sasuke and Naruto were both fired up even more than they had been before, and Gohan, well, Gohan hadn't disappointed, delivering more than enough evidence that he wasn't about to be stopped either.

Iruka nodded at Kakashi's question. "Yeah, this does help my state of mind, a little. I can see that they're not the kids I used to know, especially Naruto." The teacher grinned as he remembered how Naruto had taken one look at him after his 'threat', made about a hundred Kage Bunshins and proceeded to mob the man. "But Gohan-kun…Man, I didn't think Gohan-kun was capable of that kind of sheer _power_!"

The silver-haired jounin next to him nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I thought Gohan was just a kid with unusually high stamina. When we first met, he was beat up pretty badly, but he woke up just a few hours after we got him treated. Then came the whole bit with Zabuza. When I got caught in the Suirou jutsu, I thought the mission was done. I was wrong."

Iruka was all ears listening to the jounin. Apparently, Gohan hadn't even shown the chuunin half of what he could do. Kakashi continued, "Gohan didn't show any sign of fear about facing _The_ Momochi Zabuza. He just attacked. Beat the hell out of that bastard too."

"So, do you think they'll pass?"

Kakashi shrugged carelessly. "Hard to say, but my pride demands that I answer yes." His dark mask shifted a little, the only sign of his smile. "If you're worried about Naruto, though, don't. He's more like his father than even he realizes."

Iruka grinned. "He is a lot like him isn't he?"

The jounin actually laughed outright. "You have no idea, Iruka. Your father and Arashi-sensei were neighbors, so you actually know who Naruto's father is."

The teacher smiled wistfully. "Yeah, Dad and Yondaime-sama were pretty good friends. I remember being at his and Kushina-san's wedding."

Kakashi laughed again. "Yeah, never thought I'd get to see my sensei in a suit. That guy _hated_ to dress up."

"I wonder how he was convinced to wear a suit anyway?" Both men knew of the Yondaime's hatred for fancy clothes. The blond Hokage had repeatedly said that they restricting and itchy, even going out of his way to avoid wearing the Hokage's ceremonial robes when he didn't have to.

"Kushina." Iruka made a noise of understanding at Kakashi's answer. "That woman could convince Arashi-sensei to do anything." The jounin rubbed his head. "I think her threat was to either wear to tux or she'd do horrible things to him."

Iruka laughed now. "And with Kushina-san that always meant…" He trailed off as he remembered the chaos and mayhem Naruto's mother had sown when she was a teenager. "Well, that sort of thing must be hereditary. After all, Naruto _is_ known as the village's biggest prankster." Both men chuckled before falling silent. At last Iruka broke it. "Well, I've got to get going. I have a lesson plan to get together." Kakashi nodded and the chuunin disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Kakashi waited a minute then he too poofed away.

* * *

The day of the Exams dawned windy and sunny. The four members of Team Seven were walking down one of the main streets on their way to the Academy. Naruto and Gohan were talking about what they had done to get ready for the examinations. Sasuke was participating as well, though his was more of poking fun at Naruto and riling the blond up. Sakura wasn't doing much of anything, just walking behind the three boys and keeping her eyes down and her mouth shut. She felt like she'd hurl if she opened her mouth or met anyone's eyes.

All too soon (for Sakura anyway), the four arrived at the Academy. Naruto and Sasuke led the way, because Gohan had no idea where to go. They went up the stairs, and entered into a hall that was packed with people. They were all clustered around a room with the sign 301 above the door, but two chuunin were barring the way. Gohan thought something didn't feel right.

"Hey," he murmured to his friends. "Didn't we only go up one floor?"

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed quietly. "This is the second floor, not the third." The Uchiha prodigy smirked. "These guys are using a genjutsu."

The other black-haired boy agreed. In the day or two prior to the Exams, he'd been all but living in the library near the Hokage's Tower, literally up to his ears in scrolls and books as he feverishly studied various tactics, jutsu, and other aspects of the shinobi way of life and how the ninja did battle. Genjutsu had been only one of the facets of combat he'd read about. The Z fighter thought it was a real shame that he couldn't use chakra. It would've been so easy to trick Cell into thinking that there'd been so many copies of Gohan, or that the boy himself had been critically wounded. Killing the android would've been so much easier that way.

After showing the chuunin that their tricks weren't working, and getting to meet Team Gai, Team Seven reached hallway that led to a set of double doors. Kakashi was there before them (for once), and was leaning against a window, customary smutty book in hand as his team made their way over. He put the orange thing away and stood up, giving his team an eye-smile.

"Well, looks like all four of you have decided to take the exams," he said without preamble, then explained, much to the Team's chagrin, that if all four of them hadn't shown up together, they would've all been disqualified on the spot.

"But," Kakashi said happily, "You're all here, so feel free to go on through!" He gestured to the door and the members of Team Seven grinned, or made a valiant effort to, and pushed the doors open wide, stepping through to confront whatever lay on the other side of the threshold.

Well that's that, and _this_ is the first chapter of Summer Vacation!! HELL YEAH!! This means that, until I get home and actually get to summer classes, I should have a lot of free time to spend on writing fanfictions. Don't get too excited and start expecting me to update daily, 'cause it ain't gonna happen. I'm staying at my school for two extra months to finish up something that pertains to my degree then I go home for summer classes. But! Despair not, for I shall have copius free time when not "Slipping the Surly Bonds of Earth to Dance on Laughter Silvered Wings." Kudos to whomever can figure where that passage is from.

If you're still in High School, despair only slightly! For you are in the home stretch and shall be free of the accursed learning in due course! Now! Enough of talking in Ye Olden Style! See you guys next time, and no Glossary today 'cause no jutsu needing explaining were used, aside from a mention of Suirou no Jutsu.


	9. Exam

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

Last time: Team Seven is entered into the Chuunin Exams.

This time: The Exams.

* * *

Whatever Gohan had expected on the other side of the door, what he found wasn't it. Inside were upwards of a hundred shinobi, every single one of them glaring at the new arrivals. The saiyan glanced left, then right, knowing that this wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.

That feeling was intensified when his senses were _slammed_, as if by a hammer, by some monstrous bloodlust that stole Gohan's breath away. The warrior he was, the teen's gaze swept the room again and centered in on the culprit.

The source was a kid, looking to be about the same age as Naruto and the rest, with red hair and a brown outfit that was crossed by a leather sash, then again by a white linen one. The hirai-ate that identified the village the guy came from was tied to the leather sash and reminded Gohan of an hourglass for some reason. His most striking feature, though, was the kanji that was etched into his forehead and represented 'love' and his harsh teal eyes were ringed by dark circles, like he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in his life, a massive gourd propped on the floor beside him.

The guy caught his eye and the ki that he seemed to be leaking out from sheer desire to kill intensified almost double and the saiyan target felt his breath begin to shorten, heart begin to pound and adrenalin begin to flow, ramping up his senses into 'flight or fight' mode.

Then the shinobi turned and the spell was broken.

The dark-haired teen didn't know it, but he'd just gaped at Sabaku no Gaara and lived to tell about it.

"Sasuke-kun!"

The high-pitched cry split the silence of the classroom and a purple and blond streak flew from nowhere and latched itself onto the raven-haired Uchiha, whose face showed that he was less than happy about being glomped by a fangirl.

The attacker was a tall and wiry, but pretty, blond, with sea-green eyes to rival those of Mr. Creepy with the gourd was hanging from Sasuke's neck as if she and he were one and the same. The mysterious girl's gaze played over Gohan for a second and took in the chiseled arms and chest on him, clearly visible because of his gi and the saiyan thought he saw a flicker of interest in the girl's eyes.

"Ino-pig! Get your filthy hands off Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura's livid shout brought Gohan out of the daze that the guy with the gourd had placed him in. The pink-haired kunoichi was glaring daggers at this 'Ino' and if looks could kill, the girl would've been a smoldering crater in the ground.

But, looks couldn't kill and the girl just smiled confidently. "Oh, hey, Forehead. You made it into the Exams? Wow, your jounin-sensei must be pretty thick if he let a loser like you in here." Sakura made a noise like a cat growling, which made Ino smile all the wider and tighten her grip on fidgeting Sasuke. Ino's glinting eyes landed on Gohan. "Who's this, Forehead? You couldn't get Sasuke-kun so you got yourself someone else?"

Gohan opened his mouth to protest but he never got the words out.

"Ino, just shut up," a drawling voice murmured with a heavy lethargy. Ino bristled and released Sasuke, who slipped away without a sound to get Naruto and Sakura in between himself and the now-angry blond kunoichi. The speaker turned out to be a guy with a gray v-necked t-shirt with greenish trim and a circle divided in half by a line. His eyes were droopy and bored-looking, but Gohan was used to trying to see through strategies by eyes, and this boy's eyes were backlit by a sharp and analytical intelligence. The boy's mouth opened and his tone was just as lethargic as before.

"We don't have time for your Sasuke-fetish."

His teammate turned colors faster than Cell could move. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, SHIKAMARU!?"

Shikamaru winded at Ino's piercing tone and muttered something that sounded like 'troublesome women' before turning to the young saiyan, who was just watching. "You are…?"

Gohan stuck out a hand. "I'm Son Gohan."

Shikamaru looked put out by having to shake hands, but he did anyway, thinking to himself how troublesome it was. "Nara Shikamaru." Crunching sounded behind the genius genin and he stepped aside to reveal an obese boy who was happily shoving chips into his mouth. "And since his mouth is too full to answer, this is Akimichi Chouji. We're Team Ten. What's your team?"

"Seven."

"Seven?" Shikamaru's eyes flicked over the three original members of the team, then cast an appraising eye over Gohan. "What, you here to keep Naruto from being too much of a troublesome dumbass?"

"Hey!"

"Wait," Ino broke in. "If you're on Team Seven, doesn't that mean that they have four members? Isn't that kind of unfair?"

A new voice cut in, this one was as loud and abrasive as Naruto's. "What? A _four_-man team? What makes you guys so special?" The speaker was a kid with a gray parka with a fur lining that looked as if his hair was shaggy black and not the sandy brown it really was. Perched on his head was a small white puppy and there were red marks under his eyes that almost gave the impression he was crying tears of blood from his slit-pupiled eyes.

The puppy gave a sharp yap.

Kiba laughed rudely. "Say what?" His feral eyes looked over Gohan. He grinned, revealing longer than normal canines. "Akamaru says you smell like a monkey."

"K-Kiba-kun. T-that's not nice," a timid voice said from behind the parka-wearing genin and the other guy on Team Eight who was wearing a trench coat and sunglasses. The sunglasses kid stepped aside and revealed a girl with short hair and an oversized hoodie with a stylized purple flame stitched into the right arm of the garment.

"Hinata-chan?" Kiba asked. "You actually agree with these guys' four-man cell?"

"It's not our idea," Naruto said aggressively. Living with Gohan had been great, the two talking about life in their dimensions and other topics. At times, Naruto felt like Gohan was the big brother he'd never had. Sometimes he wondered if this was what having a family was like. "The Old Man put him on our team because he's got nowhere else to go!" The blond got up in Kiba's face. "So you and your yappy hairball can take it up with Old Man Hokage!"

Kiba backed up, a nervous look in his eyes, but was stopped from retorting by yet _another_ new voice.

"You know, it would be wise to tone it down. All of us here are rather nervous and they wouldn't mind taking out a piece of you." The speaker was a guy with silver hair that was like Kakashi's and pulled into a tight ponytail and round glasses sitting in front of a friendly-looking face. True to the guy's words, the genin in the room were glaring bloody murder at the Rookie Nine, looking as if they would attack and shred them at any moment.

Everyone looked subdued, with the exception of Naruto, who got his usual defiant look on hopped up on the desk and shouted that he would beat all of them in the Exams and become Hokage. The looks, if possible, only darkened. Sakura clobbered him on the back of his head.

"Shut the hell up, you idiot! You want us to get killed!?" She yelled in his ear, throttling him at the some time.

Kabuto proceeded to show Sasuke some weird cards. "These have data on every shinobi in this room," he said with a distinct note of pride in his voice. "I know everything about anyone."

Sasuke looked intrigued, but he would never say it. "Well, what data do you have on Gaara?"

"Sabaku no Gaara?"

"Yeah."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up in a superior manner and swiped a hand across the deck of cards, one of which sprang into the air and floated to his grasp. He looked at it, then held it out for Sasuke's inspection. "Here you go, all the information on Gaara you could ever want." As the Uchiha looked over the card, Kabuto added, "It's odd. All the information I have on him says he's never gotten so much as a scratch on a mission. Why would you be interested in him?"

"I have my reasons." The ice in his tone was enough to get Kabuto to back off. Sasuke glanced over at Gohan and noticed that the raven-haired teen was off in his own world, not noticing what was happening in the world around him. Sasuke lowered his voice. "What information do you have on Son Gohan?"

"Son Gohan? Let me see what I have." Again he swiped the deck, but this time, no card sprang into the air. Kabuto was obviously puzzled. "I don't have anything on him."

The avenger scowled then thrust Gaara's card back to the bespectacled genin. "Thanks anyway," he said, rather rudely if anyone cared to listen in.

* * *

Across the room, a mummy-like shinobi with gray camouflage pants and a fur shawl or something similar, sneered at his comrades. "So, that guy thinks that he's hot stuff does he? Let's show him otherwise."

His kunoichi comrade, a rather plain-looking girl, sneered as well. "Yeah, let's."

The two others chuckled darkly then darted into the crowd of genin, slipping among them, nothing but soundless shadows that darted in three different directions, two to either wall, and one straight up the center.

* * *

Kabuto's eyes flickered, unnoticed by his companions or the onrushing Oto-nin. A small smile, no, more of a smirk, crossed his face.

Gohan caught a shadow of a ki spike, just as a _something_ shot by him. In that moment, he knew that sensing ki would only take him so far in the shinobi world. The rest would take subtle observation. He had work to do. But first, he twisted and watched Kabuto spring back, dodging a deft right hook from what Gohan thought was a mummy. Then he realized it was a genin wrapped in bandages from head to foot.

Kabuto smirked as the fist passed harmlessly by his face, but the look faded as his glasses cracked. The movement had drawn the attention of everyone in the room and a few snorted at the sheer stupidity of the Oto-nin. Then the silver haired Leaf-nin dropped to his knees and spewed his breakfast all over the floor.

The mummy, Dosu, planted a heavy boot on Kabuto's head. "So, you know everything about everyone huh? So, did you see this coming?" The boot vanished and the genin stood up, wiping bile from his mouth and glaring the best he could with shattered lenses.

The other guy, a ruffian by name of Zaku, snorted and thrust at Kabuto.

A hand shot out of nowhere and seized his arm in an iron vice.

"That's enough," Gohan announced with a dark look on his face. "He didn't do anything to hurt you, so leave him _alone!_" The last word was spoken with a ringing force that had nothing to do with his voice and everything to do with ki, as he spiked it briefly and allowed it to lace his voice. The Z warrior allowed the shinobi to go, whereupon he retreated to his two teammates and glared at Gohan as he massaged his almost crushed wrist.

"Who're you?" Zaku demanded roughly.

"My name's Son Gohan."

Dosu chuckled darkly. "Son Gohan, huh. Well then, Son Gohan," He pointed a threatening finger at the fighter, "Now you're on our shit list. We'll meet again, and you won't get off easy next time." The trio turned and trooped back to their desks. Gohan simply scowled after them then looked at Kabuto.

"Are you OK, Kabuto-san?"

"Yes, thank you, Gohan-san."

There was an explosion at the front of the classroom and when the smoke cleared, it revealed a whole band of chuunin, led by a tall and imposing man who had his hirai-ate tied like a bandanna and a vicious scar running down his left eye, almost like Kakashi's.

"All right, you whelps! Shut the hell up and listen up, I'm Morino Ibiki and I'm the proctor for the first portion of the Chuunin Exams!" The attention of every genin in the room focused on him and the bare whisperings of some comrades vanished within the first few words. "Okay, come up here and take an number and wait for the instructions."

* * *

All the shinobi in the room took a number and sat down at their seats. Gohan found himself by another person that creeped him out. The man was tall, feminine, dressed ornately with a wide grass hat that had a dangling tag on it. The son of Goku wasn't sure what it was about this guy, but he was suddenly unnerved by the guy. He felt like a bird being watched by a snake.

Ibiki began explaining the rules and the man spoke with a tone that was high and girlish, but seemed even more sinister than if he'd had the same voice as Cell or Bojack.

"That was quite the display earlier," the man almost purred in Gohan's ear.

'This guy…' Gohan thought. 'This guy's _dangerous_!'

"Uh…Thanks."

"How'd you do it? Training, or…something more?" There was a keen interest underlying the purr.

"Uh…A brutal sensei."

That seemed to be the answer as the man looked slightly put out. "I see. Well, there's nothing like a good teacher to make one strong."

After that, there wasn't any more time for conversation, thankfully, because the tests arrived at that moment, forcing Gohan and this other guy to shut up. If the saiyan warrior knew that he was sitting next to one of the worst villains in Konoha's history, he would've either tried to stop him, or just run away.

"You may begin!" Ibiki called to the room. There was a shifting of papers then the rapid 'tak-tak-tak' of pencils hitting paper.

Gohan looked at the first question, which said 'Decipher the following code'. The code wasn't legible to the teen, so he skipped it and moved onto the next one. It was just as hard. 'If shinobi A throws shuriken B at an angle towards shinobi C at a height of ten meters, at what speed would he have to throw it to hit the target?' The young Z fighter grinned. This was the kind of problem that his mother pounded into his head on a regular basis. With a deep breath, he put pencil to paper and began to write.

* * *

Naruto was flipping out. This was a test? He sucked at tests! He was doomed. He was screwed! He was going to _fail_ and Sasuke-bastard, Sakura-chan and Gohan were going to fail with him! How was he going to get out of this? The questions and what-ifs began building in his head, as he raked his hands through his scraggly blond hair with increased frustration.

'That's it!' he shouted to himself. 'I'm going to cheat so damn well, they'll never even know it!'

"Number fifty-four! Get out of here! That's the last cheating you'll ever do!"

The voice of the Chuunin proctor, loud in such a quiet room, made everyone jump as the disgruntled candidate stood and slouched out the door.

"Take your team with you, cheater!"

The shinobi's team also stood and headed out the door. As it closed, Gohan caught the man's teammates begin to berate him about his carelessness.

Naruto blanched. 'Well, maybe I won't cheat then.'

"Psst. Naruto-kun." The blond looked at Hinata out of the corner of his eye. "You can copy mine if you like. I'm already done." She slid her test toward him, hidden under her elbow. Naruto looked at the answers, then slapped himself mentally.

"I can't, Hinata! That'll get you disqualified too! I can't be responsible for that!"

Instead of telling the headstrong shinobi that that _was_ the objective of the First Exam, Hinata instead went red with embarrassment and awe at Naruto's supposed valor.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasuke was just as stumped as Naruto was. 'This is ridiculous. How do they expect us to answer these? These are chuunin-level questions for crying out loud! There's no way a genin could answer these, not unless they were expected…to…_cheat!_' The rules of the test, the chuunin proctors, the high level questions and the genin all seated so closely together…It all added up. The environment was designed to promote cheating. This wasn't an exam, it was a test of how well they could gather information without getting caught!

Sasuke smirked. He had the perfect way to gather information, and the best part was, it was completely invisible unless someone looked him straight in the eye.

'Sharingan!'

The avenger's eyes warmed as the Kekkei Genkai activated. Now all he had to do was find a suitable target. Hm, that guy who was writing like a madman would do nicely. Sasuke focused on the one genin and began to mimic his arm movements.

In the front of the room, Ibiki smirked at the movements of the Uchiha kid. None of the chuunin in the room would catch it. The brat had all but passed this exam, but Ibiki had worked with Kakashi for too damn long not to recognize the signs of Sharingan use when he saw them. He wasn't going to bust the kid. He wasn't a proctor, just a supervisor. Unknown to most people, the chuunin in the room were taking a test for the Jounin exam. Whether or not they passed this first exam was how well they caught all the subtle signs of cheating in the room, compared with what Ibiki saw. If they caught half the errors that Ibiki did, then they passed.

It was a pretty genius set up on Konoha's part. Promote their own chuunin without anyone noticing by using the Chuunin Exams as a front. The shinobi had to hand it to the Nidaime for coming up with this. It was sneaky and underhanded, just like a shinobi should be.

All around the room, signs of shinobi cheating began to crop up, some were more obvious than others, but only two, Uzumaki Naruto, and Son Gohan were taking the test in earnest, Naruto because he was too thick to notice otherwise, and Gohan because the distraction from Orochimaru had prevented him from noticing the subtle hints in the rules. However, _unlike_ Naruto, Gohan was actually done with his test, simply because of his education at the hands of his mother. Now all he was working on was that code, and it was addicting, like a crossword or Sudoku puzzle.

"Alright, listen up you brats," Ibiki's rough voice cut through the silence, as the twin exams halted, and the ANBU interrogator took control of the exams. Now it was no longer a test, but a quest to root out the mentally weak. Ibiki grinned sadistically to himself. This was the kind of thing he was good and just _loved_ to do. "Now I will give you the tenth question, and with it, since it's a special question, are a couple new rules. If you answer wrong, you're done, and what's worse, you will be stuck as a genin forever."

The scarred man took a feral sort of pleasure at watching them squirm.

'Wait for it.'

"What do you mean we'll be stuck as a genin! There are people here who've taken the exams more than once!"

Bingo. "It's just you're bad luck you got me as an examiner." He grinned. "Anyone want to drop now and not risk a permanent demotion?" A couple hands went up. That seemed to be all, then another few popped up, then some more and more. In no time at all, thirty genin had been dismissed.

Five minutes passed, during which time, Ibiki let the silence spiral horribly. Just as his own pressure could be horrible, so too could be the pressure from not saying anything.

Sure enough, five more dropped. Five times three per team, fifteen genin gone. Another five minutes passed. No one moved. Ibiki wasn't sure if anyone even breathed.

"I wonder what it would be like to be stuck as a genin. No respect, all that crappy pay and missions." Ha. Another couple of teams dropped.

Sakura was feeling the pressure. She didn't want Sasuke-kun to think she was a wimp, to be sure, but at the same time, the raven-haired avenger was the last thing on her mind. She was thinking of that blond knucklehead on her team. The kunoichi didn't want to deprive Naruto of the dream that he was working so hard for. If they answered wrong, they would be trapped as genin forever, and that would effectively crush Naruto's dream, and quite possibly, crush the blond himself.

'I'm sorry, Naruto, Sasuke-kun, Gohan-kun, but I can't just let Naruto's dream go because of his stubbornness.' Her hand trembled as she began to raise it. Naruto and Sasuke would be livid. Gohan probably wouldn't care seeing as he was so laid back about stuff.

Naruto's hand beat hers into the air.

Shock rippled through Team Seven.

Naruto's hand dropped back with a loud thud.

"Screw you and your question!" He shouted in his characteristic loud fashion. "I don't care if I'm a genin or chuunin or an Academy student! I'll become Hokage through sheer will if I have to! You're not going to stop me!"

Ibiki blinked in shock at the declaration, then he realized that the speech had galvanized the rest of the shinobi in the room. They wouldn't be going anywhere. He smiled. "Well, if none of you are going to leave…" the tension skyrocketed as Ibiki paused as if getting ready for the question. He grinned, only a little maliciously this time. "Congratulations. You've passed the First Exams."

Right as his words left his mouth, a mass of black passed through the window, shattering it, then the shadow expanded, setting all the shinobi on edge, as the banner was pinned to the ceiling with kunai, and a gaudily dressed woman, wearing little but a fishnet bodysuit and a trenchcoat to protect her modesty as civilized society demanded, stood before them, in front of the banner which read, 'Second Exam proctor Mitarashi Anko, sit down, shut up and pay attention.'

The Rookie Nine had one collective thought. 'She's like Naruto.'

"Alright, listen up you maggots," she barked, just as rude and abrasive as Ibiki. "Follow me to the training ground for your next exam!"

Still shocked from the abrupt entry, the genin lined up and trooped after her like ducklings. They left the village, heading out towards the walls, exited the village and arrived at a training ground that was used for mission simulations. The ground was fenced off, with massive trees that were scraggly and gnarled, their bark moist with slime and dew, curtains of moss hanging from the upraised roots. Even the leaves seemed more sinister somehow, as if they were a danger in and of themselves. Gohan even saw a Venus flytrap that was more massive and monstrous than anything he'd seen before, which told the young saiyan that the insects in the forest must've been either huge or numerous or both.

Spooky shrieks sounded from the dark and shadowy trees, then a massive snake, probably six feet high and eighty feet long, emerged from the trees, tongue flickering at the assembled ninja for a moment before it reared and snapped a haggard-looking falcon out of the air in a spray of feathers. The bird shrieked once then was silent. The massive reptile turned and slithered back into the shadows.

Anko grinned at the paling of several of the ninja. "Welcome to Training Ground Number 44, also known as the Forest of Death. This will be your home for the next five days. Now, before we get started with this fun little exam, you have to sign a waiver."

"Why?" Sakura asked. Anko smiled viciously.

"So Konoha won't be held responsible for your deaths." More than a few got even whiter, if that were possible. Anko held up a thick stack of papers. "Come and get one then wait until you're called to the tent to get your scroll. I'll explain while you fill these out." She thrust them roughly into Naruto's hands where the blond took one then handed it to Gohan and so on.

"Alright, now listen. This next exam is designed to test your ability to transport captured intelligence back to friendly territory. This ground is circular with gates stationed at regular intervals. You will take a gate then, on my signal, you will take your scroll into the forest and get it, and a second scroll that you'll have to take from another team, to a tower that is exactly in the center, some ten kilometers from here. During those five days, you must one, stay alive, two, get to the tower within the five days and finally, get the second scroll from another team."

"Rules?" It was the raspy voice of Gaara.

Anko grinned again. "None. Use every jutsu, trap, and strategy you know to get the second scroll. You've signed the waiver, so deaths will not be investigated, only bodies will be recovered." That seemed to excite Gaara very much. Temari and Kankuro exchanged nervous glances. This lady had signed more than a few genin's death warrant. "Alright, now, everyone get a scroll, and get ready."

* * *

Within the hour, with dusk rushing towards them, all the genin were in position. Anko's voice came over the radio that was on the hip of the shinobi that was escorting Team Seven. "Alright, listen up you maggots! The second exam has begun!"

The chuunin unlocked the padlock and the chain that kept the gate secured clinked to the ground and the four man Team Seven flew into the forest that was already dark, since it was a thick canopy.

Orochimaru and his team flashed through the trees as well, though their objectives weren't the scrolls, but a certain team with a certain Uchiha that was in possession of a certain Kekkei Genkai.

"Split up," Orochimaru hissed to his teammates. "Find Uchiha Sasuke quickly. We only have until the end of the Second Exam to mark him."

Behind him, the two disguised members of the Sound Four, Jiroubou and Tayuya, branched off and headed into the forest. They would locate Uchiha Sasuke then they would inform Orochimaru-sama of their results if he didn't get to Uchiha before they did.

Only a mile or two away, Naruto shouted "Stop!" Team Seven dropped to the forest floor, Gohan landing with easy grace. Since he knew that ki would be sensed by other shinobi, he'd taken the shinobi's approach and had been bounding behind them through the branches. It had been a nice change of pace for the fighter. He would've preferred to fly, but that took a decent amount of ki, enough that it would light him up like a torch in the forest full of enemies. Not something he wanted to do.

"Naruto, what is it?" Sakura griped, hoping it was serious otherwise she was going to clobber him into next week.

"I have to go to the bathroom," the blond replied, moving to unzip his pants. Sakura promptly cracked him over the head.

"Not in front of me you don't! Go find a bush or something!"

Grumbling, and massaging the new lump on his head, the loud genin moved into the foliage. The members of Team Seven waited for the blond to return, then there was scuffling in the foliage and Naruto reappeared, wearing his usual bright grin.

"Man, I had to go! I managed to write my name!" While Sakura once again berated the shinobi on his lack of tact, Sasuke and Gohan exchanged covert glances.

Sasuke nodded minutely, confirming Gohan's worries. This wasn't Naruto.

Gohan fazed out, reappeared behind Naruto and seized the genin under the arms and lifted into the air, holding the struggling and swearing shinobi ten feet above the floor of the forest.

"Hey! Let me go, you bastard!"

Sasuke blurred into the false Naruto's vision and landed a hard right into the orange teen's gut, making him spit up bile. He coughed violently, gasping for air, right as the teen holding him airborne let go and allowed the ninja to collapse in a heap. Sasuke and Gohan bracketed the fake and waited for him to stand.

"Gohan-kun? Sasuke-kun? It wasn't that bad was it?" Sakura asked. It'd happened so fast that one moment, Naruto had been in front of her, then the next, he'd been floating above her head by Gohan and Sasuke had landed the blow. "I mean, it was just…"

"This isn't Naruto," Sasuke said shortly. That shut up the kunoichi fast. "Naruto's not left handed." Sure enough, the kunai holster was on the wrong leg.

"And his ki is wrong," Gohan added. His eyes weren't friendly. This joker had messed with Gohan's friends, and that was one thing you did **not** do. Cell had found that out the hard way when the Z fighter had reacted violently to Android 16's death and had tapped his latent power, ascending to the explosive new level, Super Saiyan 2. "Sasuke's right, Sakura. This isn't Naruto."

Naruto's face split into a malicious grin. "So, you whelps aren't as easy to fool as you look." There was a burst of smoke and Naruto was replaced with a shinobi with a yellow wetsuit, shadowed eyes and a rebreather that made his voice sound like Darth Vader. "Looks like I'll have to kill you now."

He lunged, a kunai appearing in his grip and lunged for Sakura, who looked frozen with fear.

Gohan was in front of her, and caught the kunai on an open palm. The weapon strained to breach the Z fighter's skin, then it shattered into so many metal slivers.

The rain-nin's eyes widened. "Shit. I can't handle this! I'm out of here!" He leapt away, whipping another knife to cover his retreat. Sasuke was right at the end of the trajectory, lifted his foot, and caught the weapon on his heel, forcing it to stick to his sandal. His Sharingan blazed to life, the red eyes tracking the nin perfectly as he followed through and hurled the kunai back at the nin with a kick.

The assailant dodged it and tried to escape, Sasuke and Gohan chasing.

"Hey! A little help here!"

Gohan looked down and saw Naruto trussed up like a Christmas present, squirming to try and get some purchase against the ropes that bound him.

"Naruto!" He shouted, channeling a little ki into a finger and firing an exact blast that sliced cleanly through the ropes and freed the blond.

"Thanks!" The loud kid vaulted to his feet and joined the persuit of the escaping nin.

The Rain-shinobi stopped for a moment and looked back. There was no sign of the brats.

"Lost 'em."

"That's what you think." The enemy whirled and saw Gohan, hovering just a few feet away, hanging in thin air, as if it was something he did every day. Unlike actually moving with flight, hovering took only minimal effort and didn't alert everyone around.

The man turned to escape another way. Sasuke was there, smirking. "Going somewhere?" he asked.

Another turn. Naruto was there, arms crossed and a cocky smile. "Yo!" Behind the nin was just a tree trunk and he wasn't good enough with chakra to run up it without running the risk of slipping.

He was trapped. Like a rat.

Well, that shinobi's about to get it. Now, for a little ranting. Enough with the reviews yelling at me about how 'Gohan could destroy Naruto' or 'Naruto would destroy Gohan'. I DON'T want to hear it anymore. I'm well aware that Gohan would obliterate any shinobi, but honestly, what's more interesting, Orochimaru vs. Gohan in a massive all-out slugfest, like what's coming up fast, or 'Gohan went Super Saiyan 2, waved a hand, and destroyed the world. The End.' Personally, I like the first one. When I began this fiction, I swore to myself that I'd avoid making Gohan overpowered, and I've avoided it so far.

Now, also enough about Team Seven having a four-man team. That was the only way I could think of to get Gohan into the exams. So, just be quiet about it. Gohan's practically tied at the hip to Team Seven now, and will be for the rest of the fiction, so just deal with it. In both the manga and anime, Team Seven won't be together for much longer anyway. When Sasuke leaves the village, it'll be a three man team again, and therefore no longer an issue. If you write me about either of these things I've just ranted about, then don't expect a response. Now that that's over with, see you guys next chapter! No glossary again this time.


	10. Snake

Disclaimer: Own nothing

Last time: The exams start and Team Seven corners a Rain-nin

This time: Orochimaru gets involved.

* * *

The trapped shinobi looked desperately around for a way out, but there was none. As much as it grated on his ego to admit, these Konoha bums had him stuck. He'd grown up being taught that the Rain Village was the best village in the world and that Konoha was one of the weakest, not worth the second thought. Now he realized that was all conditioning so they wouldn't run from a war with the Leaf.

The three teens were encroaching on him now, making him sweat bullets as he backed up until his wetsuit touched moist, rotting, and slimy bark. He held his hands up in a pleading manner.

"H-hey, come on now," he pleaded, hoping to appeal to the kids' better side. "Maybe we can cut a deal?"

"Sure," Sasuke said, smirking the whole time. "You can give us your scroll."

"Uh, but I don't have it."

"Wrong answer," Gohan said brightly. He was actually having a small degree of fun watching the guy squirm. He wondered if this was how his mom felt when she caught him running off on some adventure with his dad.

"My thoughts exactly." Sasuke replied. He looked at the blond in the group. "Naruto, you're the village prankster, maybe you can come up with an inventive punishment?"

Naruto thought for a second, then he grinned his fox grin and laughed in an almost sinister manner. "Sure! I've got an idea!"

The Rain shinobi shrank back under the encroaching shadows of the three boys. "No! Stay back! NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Five minutes later and Team Seven, Sakura included, were all staring up at the struggling and swearing Rain-nin dangling some twenty feet over their heads.

"Was…that all necessary?" She asked, deadpan.

"Think of it as a morale booster, Sakura-chan!" Naruto answered brightly, draping an arm over her shoulder. "At his expense!" There was a crack of bone on bone and then Naruto's twitching feet were where his head should've been.

"Hands off, Baka!" Sakura said, allowing Inner Sakura to seep through for an instant. The reason for the conversation in the first place was that their assailant was hanging upside down from his ankles, arms bound behind his back, and a massive gash cut into the back of his wetsuit, from which his boxers, white with red polka dots, had been pulled out and the waist band stretched until it was covering his eyes.

Sasuke had been almost dismissive when he saw it. "Real original, Naruto." He'd remarked.

"Shut the hell up, Sasuke-bastard! It was the best I could do! It's not like we're in Konoha or something!"

Gohan and Sakura just looked at each other and shrugged, knowing there was no way to break the two bickering friends up. A strange feeling surged through Gohan and set him on edge, but before he could to anything, a massive wind swept through the area they were in. Everyone was a tangle of flying limbs as they all tried to dodge one way or another.

Sasuke and Sakura got clear, but Gohan and Naruto weren't so lucky. Gohan would've made it too, except that Naruto had jumped into him right as he was getting ready to faze away and knocked him over, then both of them got slammed and swept away by the rush of chakra that followed the wind.

Sasuke emerged from the bush he'd managed to hide under right when the wind hit. He'd noticed Gohan's sudden tensing, and so far, when Son Gohan tensed like that, it generally meant something bad was on the way. Thankfully he'd managed to move fast enough.

"Sasuke-kun?" It was Sakura, her own bush rustling as she emerged from it. He held a single finger to his lips, making her be quiet. Something, some indefinable force, was making the last of the Uchiha's neck hairs stand on end. A shiver, like cold water wending its way down his spine, caressed his body, raising goosebumps on his arms. Whatever was out there, he really didn't want to meet it.

Unfortunately, it seemed the thing wanted to meet them.

The bushes parted and a figure emerged, and it wasn't Naruto or Gohan.

"Who're you?" Sasuke demanded rudely. The figure, an effeminate man, merely cackled before lunging at them.

* * *

A mile from that particular encounter, Gohan's wild head-over-heels tumbling along the mossy forest floor finally came to a stop as the warrior got his feet under him and dug in, even crouching and digging a hand into the soil to slow his wild skid. The saiyan warrior straightened up and looked around the dank forest, which was cloaked in perpetual twilight from the thickness of the canopy above them.

In the distance he could feel Sasuke's ki clashing with that of another's, and something about that second signature felt oddly familiar, like he knew it from somewhere. Sakura was near Sasuke, and Gohan figured that the Uchiha would manage to keep her safe for the time being. Throwing his senses even farther out, the young warrior caught a slight feel of that bloodthirsty guy from before, the one who looked like an insomniac raccoon. He was a ways off, though, which was good, Gohan really didn't want to mess with him unless he had access to his transformations again.

Now. Where was Naruto?

Gohan couldn't sense him anywhere, and that worried him. He didn't know if the hyper blond was dead or just out of…Oh, there he was, and his ki was shining strong. No worries there. So what to do now? He had several options before him. He could check up on Naruto and make sure the blond was mortally wounded or had a broken limb or something similar, or he could go and see just what had gotten Sasuke so riled up that he was fighting as hard as he was.

In the few scant minutes Gohan had been deliberating with himself, Sasuke's ki had moved all over the area they'd last been in, then it'd flickered and moved again, though this time it felt more like a retreat than anything. That made the demi-saiyan frown. If this threat was good enough to make Uchiha Sasuke retreat, then Gohan should go and help.

He looked in Naruto's direction. On the other hand though, if this threat was that bad, then Gohan, limited as he was, would probably have a tougher time than usual in dealing with the menace. Plus there was the fact that he was still unfamiliar with the world of the shinobi. Charging headlong into battle like he usually did was probably going to get him pummeled all the faster.

"Sakura, Sasuke," He whispered to the air, hoping that the verbal plea would have at least some effect, even if it was to bolster his own confidence that his teammates would hold out just a few minutes more. "Hang on. I'll get Naruto and we'll both come to help out."

There was a flicker and Gohan was gone.

* * *

Sasuke grunted as he took a hard blow in his midsection, but he stuck it out and latched firmly onto the offending limb of his adversary. The man's face showed not surprise but a mild curiosity about what the young man was planning. That became obvious when he pulled out a kunai and stuck it firmly into the man's wrist, drawing blood and forcing the shinobi, who claimed to be from the Grass Village, to pull back and remove the knife.

"Ho?" The man said, looking over the injury, which bled profusely. Despite being a small incision, it was deep, nicking several veins and arteries. "Not bad, Sasuke-kun, not bad at all." There was an odd note in his voice. To Sasuke it sounded almost like…satisfaction? What was there to be satisfied about? He was bleeding for Kami's sake. Shouldn't he be at least a little wary? A long serpentine tongue emerged and licked the wound clean. "However, it'll take more than a mere scratch to stop me."

Sasuke gulped, taking a step back by instinct. Something about this guy was foul, and the Uchiha didn't want any part of it. His hands flew together, forming a familiar sequence. "Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The shinobi blinked as a raging fireball spewed from Sasuke's lips and engulfed the ninja and the immediate area where he stood. The raven-haired avenger chocked the flow and waited for the fire to burn itself out.

At the center of the affected area, the moss and dead leaves burned away and the soil turned to glass, was the shinobi, burned to a crisp and unmoving. Sasuke smirked. There was evidence of what happened when you underestimated the Uchiha.

A noise like breaking bone filled the air as the corpse cracked and fell to pieces. Sasuke started. "Kawarimi!?"

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu at your age? Very impressive, Sasuke-kun," said a silky voice in the avenger's ear.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted in alarm. The Uchiha was frozen in place. This guy had switched places with something and Sasuke didn't even notice until he'd spoken.

"What the…What the _hell_ are you?" Sasuke asked, knowing not to turn around. Not if he wanted to keep his head.

"Kukukukuku." The presence vanished as the man took a couple of steps back, allowing Sasuke to turn. "Me? Why, I'm a shinobi, just like you."

"Don't screw with me," Sasuke growled. This man sounded too much like Itachi for Sasuke's liking. "You're not a genin. Not by a long shot."

The man snickered again. "Intelligent too. My my, you are just like your brother."

Rage erupted inside Sasuke and formed a molten ball that sat like white phosphorous in his gut. "What was that?" He snarled, Sharingan blazing to life, reacting to his emotion.

The man sneered. "Such eyes. Fine eyes, Sasuke-kun. Full of rage, hatred, a lust for power. You could be great Sasuke, very great indeed. Yet you're nothing but a puppet. A puppet of the Hokage and this worthless troublesome village." Sasuke could almost hear the creepy organ music in the background as the man held out an inviting hand. "Serve me, Sasuke-kun. Join me, and I can show you the greatest power!"

The Uchiha relaxed his stance and stood tall, regarding this guy with his crimson eyes. "Power?" He asked, sounding tempted.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked hesitantly from the sidelines. Sasuke wasn't about to join this nutjob was he? He was a Konoha-nin, loyal to the village, raised that way from birth, just as she had been, just as Naruto and Gohan-kun had decided for themselves with no one to instruct them otherwise.

"Yes, _power_!" The shinobi exclaimed in a purring hiss, an insane light shining on his face, arm still extended. "More power than you could ever imagine, and all you have to do is cast off your ties to this cesspool of a village! Cast if off, Sasuke-kun, and pledge your eternal loyalty to me and I can give you this power." He smiled malevolently. "Itachi will stand not a ghost of a chance."

"Itachi?" Sakura whispered. Was he the brother the shinobi had mentioned earlier? At least Sasuke-kun hadn't taken the offer yet. And he would never do it! Would he? The kunoichi realized that she really didn't know Sasuke like she thought she did. Naruto would never do it, he would work on his own until he had power. Gohan-kun had power, and had probably worked his ass off to do it. Sasuke? Sasuke had natural talent, but if he was tempted like this…She didn't know.

"The power to kill _him_?" Sasuke asked.

"Yesss!" The shinobi hissed, eyes turning from brown to gold. "That and more!" He spread his arms wide. "The power to crush him under your heel and grind his memory into dust! The power to surpass Uchiha Madara himself!" The shinobi leaned forward, the insane light growing stronger, amplified by the shadows of the forest.

"Think of it, Sasuke-kun! You would be known as the greatest Uchiha since the founding of the Clan! You would go down in history as the one who restored his family to prominence! The songs and scrolls would tell of your brilliance for centuries to come! Every child would grow up knowing and idolizing your name!" He seemed to calm down and regain control of himself. "And all you have to do, Sasuke-kun, is join me."

Sasuke's head lowered, shadowing his eyes. Slowly, he began to walk forward, sandals scraping over the dirt with an ominous slowness.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted, tears welling in her eyes. "No! _Sasuke-kun!_"

"Ignore her," The shinobi said. "She is nothing but a liability to your greatness. You don't need her. You don't need anyone."

"You're right." Sasuke said in a monotone. "I don't need anyone." His head snapped up, Sharingan blazing, and his hand lunged forward, a kunai sliding out of the coverings that wrapped his forearms, the knife driven to the hilt in the shinobi's stomach. "I don't need anyone to kill him!" The avenger repeated. "And I especially don't need _you!_" He blurred away, reappearing next to Sakura, scooping her up bridal style and vaulting into the trees, ignoring the blush that was coloring the kunoichi's cheeks.

The shinobi fell forward, wheezing and bleeding out from the wound in his abdomen. The gurgling continued then all color bled from the shinobi and he turned into a mound of mud. The trunk of a tree rippled and Orochimaru stepped forward, totally unharmed.

He snickered in delight. "Ingenious, Sasuke-kun. Simply astounding. You almost had me." A feral, predatory grin lit his face. "I'm going to enjoy this." His ominous chuckling filled the clearing long after he'd disappeared in pursuit of the Uchiha and the Sharingan he possessed.

* * *

"Naruto! Are you alright! Naruto!"

The snake that Gohan was shouting at raised its triangular head and hissed at the hovering saiyan in agitation. A muffled shouting could be heard coming from the sizable bulge in the middle of the sixty-foot long creature, whose scaly hide was tan and dappled with green spots so dark they were almost black.

Inside the snake was Naruto. He could hear Gohan shouting for him, but there was nothing he could do to answer, as mashed and compacted as he was. It was all the blond could do to even breath.

'Shit! If I don't do something soon, I'm snake chow!' Naruto thought angrily. There were two ways for him to get out of there. He could cut the snake open, or he could wait, be digested and then come out as a huge snake turd in a few weeks. Naruto liked the first idea better. He dug into his holster and pulled out a kunai, digging the blade into the snake's gullet as best he could. The slimy insides were too wet, though, and the knife slid off the flesh and out of Naruto's hand.

In the lightless environment he was in, there was no chance at all he'd be able to find it again.

"Fine!" Naruto said to the snake. "You don't wanna be cut open? Well then, get ready for Plan B!" He made a hand seal that he didn't need light to make sure he was doing the right way.

Outside, Gohan watched helplessly as Naruto moved further down the snake's reptilian length. He could blow the snake open with a ki blast, but that ran the risk of killing Naruto from the shockwave and heat. But after running through all other potential options, Gohan decided that it was the only thing he could do.

He charged a blast and took aim at the snake's head, but stopped when he noticed the bulge acting funny. It was rippling and contorting like some kind of fluid filled creature you might find in a horror movie.

A muffled cry reached Gohan's ears.

"Taijuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The snake bulged like it was an overfilled water balloon, then it exploded in a spray of blood and thicker things, covering Gohan in slime. When the chaos subsided, hundreds of Narutos filled the area where the snake had been resting. There was a massive explosion of smoke and there was only one Naruto left.

"Naruto!" Gohan cried with a laugh as he floated down to his friend. "Wow! You showed him didn't you!"

"I _hate_ snakes!" Naruto shouted to the world. "What am I, a snake's entrée?" He sniffed his jacket. "Dammit, now I smell like snake gut. Hey, Gohan, didn't you get eaten?"

The dark-haired fighter laughed. "Almost, but he got a little more than he bargained for."

* * *

In the forest canopy, Team Eight was clustered around a grisly sight.

"K-Kiba-kun? What is that?" Hinata asked, sounding a little faint. That wasn't really a good question. It was quite obvious that it was a snake, a massive one at that, impaled through the roof of its mouth from the tip of the pine tree that had been rammed through the top of its skull. The lower jaw was propped open by the tip of the tree, making the snake look rather surprised.

A strong wind whipped the canopy and made that tree from which the corpse was dangling sway and at the same time kicking up a foul scent.

"Looks like a snake," Shino said simply. "We should steer clear of whoever did that." There was a thud and a cry of alarm from Hinata.

"Oh no! Kiba-kun!" The boy was laying spread eagle, his eyes swirling, and obviously out cold.

"What happened, Hinata?" Shino asked.

"I don't know! He just passed out." Another wave of stench washed over them and Shino covered his nose with the sleeve of his coat.

"Must have been the smell." The bug-user sighed. Sometimes, Kiba could be so pathetic.

Thud.

"Oh no! Akamaru too!"

Shino sighed again and moved to help Hinata with his teammate.

* * *

"Wow! Snake skewer!" Naruto said with a laugh when Gohan told him what he'd done to the snake. "Remind me to never piss you off, Gohan."

"Sure, now let's get back to the others. I have a feeling that they're in a tight spot."

"Right." The two blurred away, moving to rejoin their other comrades.

* * *

Sasuke slammed into the tree with enough force to make him bring up blood. The situation had gone from bad to worse. The creepy shinobi with a huge ego had caught up with them and now Sasuke was totally on the defensive, struggling to just keep breathing as the Grass-nin played with him.

Just acknowledging that he was being toyed with set the Uchiha's teeth on edge. As much as it grated on him to admit, he really missed having Naruto and Gohan by his side.

"Well, this has been fun, Sasuke-kun, but now I think it's time to call it a day and move on with my plans." The nin pulled back his sleeve and revealed an odd-looking tattoo on his forearm. He raised a thumb to his mouth and bit down, and then swiped the bloodied digit over the tattoo, leaving a red smear. The shinobi's hands folded together in a series of seals. "Ninpou. Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

A tremendous explosion rocked the trees and when the smoke cleared, the shinobi was standing atop a mammoth snake with horned eye ridges and mud-brown, rock-like scales that looked like stone armor than anything else. The man smiled. "I warn you, Sasuke-kun, he likes to play before he eats." He shrugged in a gesture of mock helplessness. "I just don't know what to do with him sometimes."

The massive snake let off a deep and rolling hiss then lunged for him, mouth gaping wide, revealing fangs that were taller than Sasuke was. The Uchiha found himself so frozen that he couldn't do anything but sink to his knees and close his eyes, waiting for the end. There was a noise like a collision and Sasuke found himself thinking that if this was death, then it wasn't so bad.

Then he realized he wasn't dead and his eyes snapped open to see what had saved him. An astounded sight greeted his eyes. Gohan, muscles bulging and straining so hard that he was shaking, had a hard grip on each of the snake's fangs and was holding it back with just muscle power alone.

The snake pushed and forced the saiyan back a few inches, the warrior's feet digging furrows in the hard and hoary bark of the tree limb they were on.

"G-Gohan!"

"What're you waiting for!?" The other teen ground out through gritted teeth. "Get out of here!" Sasuke didn't move. Gohan swore, something Sasuke had never heard him do. The Uchiha didn't even realize Gohan knew the words to use. "Naruto! Get Sasuke out of here!" He skidded back another few inches. "Hurry, I can't hold this thing much longer!"

"Right!" A pair of arms encircled Sasuke's chest and he found himself flying through the air to land next to Sakura, who'd been paralyzed with fear ever since the nin had used some kind of weird jutsu to show them their own deaths.

Gohan glanced sideways and saw Naruto give him a cheery wave. He fazed out a second later and the snake's maw slammed shut over the spot he'd been standing just a moment before.

The Grass-nin blinked and looked to the side, spotting the entire Team Seven, from a shaking Sakura to a sweat-drenched and puffing Gohan. "Well, well, we meet again," he said, aiming his words at the saiyan.

"Gohan, you know this guy?" Sasuke asked, staggering upright again.

"Yeah. He sat next to me at the First Exam."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know, but he creeps me out."

Laughter filled the air. "Excellent show, Gohan was it?" The teen in question nodded curtly. "You're much stronger than I gave you credit for. It appears I've been lied to. There's more to your power than just a brutal sensei, and I'm going to beat the answers out of you!" The snake turned and moved for them. Gohan got ready to fight, but Sasuke stepped in front of him.

"Hey!" He called to the snake-like man. "We're not done yet!"

The man tapped his chin. "No, I suppose we're not, Sasuke-kun." He made a hand-seal and the man's neck shot forward faster than anyone could react. Next second, Sasuke was screaming in pain as the shinobi sank fangs into his neck, just like a vampire would. He withdrew, neck retracting to its normal length and Sasuke collapsed, wincing and clutching at his neck as three black tomoe, just like the ones in his Sharingan, formed on his skin.

He heard the cries of his teammates, but his attention was on the snake-man in front of him. "Just who the hell are you!" He demanded in a pain-laden voice.

The man looked surprised. "You can still speak? It appears I've chosen well then. Very well. I'll reward your tenacity. Remember this well, Sasuke-kun. My name is…Orochimaru." He reached up and pulled his right eyelid down. "I'll even show you my true face." Then he pulled his face right off, showing them a man with gold eyes, purple markings around his eyes, skin so white it looked as if he were a corpse or had never seen daylight in years, all framed by long black hair.

His hirai-ate showed a musical note. "Here you go, Sasuke-kun. This is my true face." He let the skin he'd ripped off like a mask flutter to the horrified members of Team Seven, and Gohan noticed that it wasn't a mask, but an actual face. Somehow, some way, this Orochimaru person had stolen the very face off of some hapless shinobi!

Fire shot through Sasuke's body, and he screamed long and loud, filling the air with his cries as he screamed as fast as he could draw breath, clutching hard at his neck until blood flowed. Then he fell silent and passed into the blissful darkness that engulfed him.

"Sasuke!" Gohan shouted, feeling his friend's ki begin to waver and fade. He crouched by the raven-haired teen and noticed that Sasuke was drenched in a cold sweat. "Sasuke!"

"He won't answer," Orochimaru said, not sneering or condescending, just simply stating a fact. "That Cursed Seal I marked him with had a ninety percent chance of killing him." Shock and rage slammed through Gohan, waking him up and energizing him like a jolt of electricity. "I wonder…will Sasuke-kun make it?"

"You…you…_YOU!_" Gohan shouted standing up and getting ready to rush and shred Orochimaru. For once, he wasn't reluctant to fight. He wanted to _kill_ this guy, to shred and crush him, as utterly as he'd crushed Sasuke just now.

There was a noise like an explosion and Naruto was bathed in a sinister red chakra, complete with red eyes and thickened whisker marks. "_I'll kill you!_" Naruto howled in rage and bloodlust then leapt at the snake sannin, his speed doubled from what he'd ever been capable of before.

The snake twisted and Naruto shot past, but he swiped with his clawed hands and opened a wide and deep gash on the snake's scaly underbelly. The enraged blond rebounded off another tree and sped again at Orochimaru, the force of his chakra so great there was a burn mark in the shape of a sandal's sole on the tree.

Orochimaru leaned back then gave a short uppercut that burrowed into Naruto's belly and launched him up just as effectively as any Z fighter could, the boy's body bouncing off the tree branch above and falling back to earth, where Orochimaru caught the boy with his long and serpentine tongue.

Gohan went to help, but it was too late, Orochimaru slammed his fingers into Naruto's stomach and the boy went limp, out cold like Sasuke. A casual flick of the tongue sent Naruto flying over his shoulder and on a one way ticket to the ground and a bloody demise.

The saiyan didn't hesitate, diving for the blond without a second thought, but his ankle was snagged by a wet rope that, when the saiyan twisted around, revealed itself to be Orochimaru's tongue, again, coiled around his ankle and leg like some kind of pink python.

"Naruto!" Gohan cried, unable to do anything but watch.

A streak of sliver flashed from nowhere and Naruto was hanging, unconscious, by his jacket from a kunai that had burrowed into the bark and stopped the blonde's untimely demise.

"Got him," Sakura said, relieved that she'd made the shot.

"Thwa gwil?" Orochimaru asked, his words slurred and murdered by the length of his tongue. "Dwanmmit." He lurched and Gohan found himself flying through the air to slam into the tree next to Sakura. The disgusting rope around his ankle uncoiled and retracted back to where it belonged.

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura shouted, kneeling next to the other teen as he rolled onto his stomach and lurched upright. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I've been worse." He looked at Sasuke, sweating outright now and shivering, then at Naruto, swaying gently from his kunai, then at the man responsible, who was watching him in turn with a curious look. Rage punched him again, and this time he grabbed it, amplified it by thinking of Cell killing 16 and his father, of Frieza killing Krillin, and used that firestorm of hatred and anger to boost his own power.

Sakura blinked as Gohan seemed to glow, then the light exploded off of him in a shockwave that shattered the bark around her then the hurricane right behind it whipped the slivers of wood away and sent her dress flapping, Gohan's cape dancing, and Orochimaru's hair flying.

All around the forest, and even into Konoha itself, all who were even marginally knowledgeable at how to sense chakra stopped and looked around, though only a few truly knew what was going on.

* * *

The Sandaime, up to his elbows in paperwork again, ran to his windows as fast as his age and clothing would allow and looked to the Forest of Death.

'Gohan-kun…something has him rather upset.' The old man pulled out his crystal ball and sat down, searching for the boy in question. When the view entered the forest, it went snowy, like a TV with bad reception. 'The chakra in the area is too great for my view to see. What's going on in there?'

* * *

In the jounin lounge, all three of the Rookie Nine's senseis stood and ran to the balcony, feeling the maelstrom of power radiating from the forest.

"What is that?" Asuma asked, his cigarette dropping from his mouth at the sheer volume of raw chakra.

"I-I don't know." Kurenai replied. "It feels like…I don't know what it feels like."

"Gohan!" Kakashi cried. "What the _hell _are you doing!?"

"Gohan?" Kurenai asked. "That new kid on your team?"

The Copy-nin didn't answer, instead vaulting over the railing and speeding for the Forest as fast as he could, moving with more speed than anyone thought possible from the lazy man.

* * *

"G-Gohan-kun?" Sakura asked hesitantly, to which she only got a hard onyx gaze, and no reply.

"Kukukukukuku!" Orochimaru laughed gleefully. "Excellent! Wonderful, Gohan-kun, simply wonderful! You possess far more power than I'd ever dreamed!" He looked down with that insane gaze back again, one that seemed to warp his entire face. "I'm going to get you to tell me the secret!"

The Son of Goku didn't answer, instead reaching up to his cape and pulling it over his head, eyes never leaving Orochimaru's for a second. He held the white garment easily with one hand, then, with a deft flick, sent it flying to the side, over Sakura's head to thud on to the limb and shatter the bark and wood where it landed.

'What the hell?' Sakura wondered. 'How can he _move_ with something that heavy on?' She looked at her friend with scared emerald eyes. 'Gohan, just what are you?'

Gohan's eyes drilled into the Snake Sannin. "Let's go!" He announced and simply vanished.

Orochimaru blinked then crossed his arms as fast as he could, Gohan's foot slamming into him and thrusting him off the snake. The sannin landed safely on the tree across from the one he'd been fighting at, though the force of his impact blew out the back of the tree as the force transferred.

He threw himself flat against the tree as Gohan shot past from above, little more than a blur to the Sannin at the level he was fighting at, gold eyes widening as several long black hairs detached themselves from his head and floated away on the mad rush of air in the speeding teen's wake.

The sadist looked down and saw a swath of debris on the forest floor as the boy skimmed over the foliage below then shot back to their level in a second, again coming for his enemy, leading with a straight attack that would take the Sannin's head off if he didn't watch it. Orochimaru reached above his head and put both hands on the tree then curled himself into a ball, just as Gohan's attack slammed home with enough force to bury his arm in the tree up to the shoulder and almost crack the mammoth plant in half.

The saiyan saw white as he didn't pull his arm out in time and both of Orochimaru's heels slammed into the top of his head, sending him speeding to the ground, his arm ripping a gash the length of the tree until he slammed to earth and raised a massive cloud of debris, from which he shot like a bullet and tried to hit the Sannin with an uppercut. The snake-man's head pulled out of the way in time, but Gohan felt his knuckles graze the man's chin, then he was past, at the top of the tree, where he pushed off hard enough to pulverize the wood, arcing back to the tree where Sakura was crouching.

Orochimaru watched the boy across from him with a guarded expression that Gohan knew all to well. It was the same look that Cell had gotten when the young Super Saiyan had proven himself an equal to the evil android. It was the look of being unwillingly impressed.

The snake was indeed unwillingly impressed, not believing that a boy, no older than Sasuke himself, could fight with such ferocity and power.

Something warm dribbled down his chin.

White fingers touched the source and came away red. Orochimaru blinked then felt under his chin, wincing when he made contact with the bruise that was rapidly forming. The kid, _that_ kid, had _injured_ him! It was minor, but still, a mere teenager was standing up to him, one of the Sannin, and had even managed to draw first blood!

Gohan launched himself at Orochimaru again, and the snake responded in kind, pushing off the tree to meet the onrushing warrior at the halfway point, over open space, and begin trading blows so fast that Sakura couldn't keep up. The pair's arms were moving so fast that it looked like they'd both sprouted multiple fists.

The fighting titans broke apart, Orochimaru rebounding off a tree and becoming a blur. Gohan let out a war cry and mimicked the move then the two became nothing but black streaks that bounced all over the area where Team Seven had been fighting for their lives until that point.

Shockwaves pulsed all around the kunoichi as the streaks met, bounced apart, met, bounced apart, only to meet again somewhere else, each meeting producing the waves that did everything from just create gusts of wind, to shattering tree trunks and sending up swarms of leaves when the two met in the canopy.

One tree, a good fifty feet around, simply broke apart when the blurs met at its midsection, the ancient giant shattering like a tooth pick, the entire upper half slowly falling for the ground below with a creaking noise. It never hit the ground though, because there was a string of explosions up and down its length as the two fought over, on and around it, reducing the sizeable section to nothing but pulp, wood chips and sawdust.

Gohan reappeared next to her as if he'd simply popped out of thin air, and he looked a little worse for wear. Small cuts and bruises covered him and his gi had a massive gash ripped in the right leg at the knee, showing hard corded muscle that looked like he was chiseled out of marble. He was breathing hard, panting as if he'd been running for miles, sweat staining his front and running down his face, though his eyes still burned with the intensity of the sun.

Orochimaru appeared across from them, and he was in a similar state, cut and bruised, beaten and battered, though his clothing was tattered and not gashed like Gohan's was. He was breathing hard and sweating as well, though Sakura couldn't help but notice that Gohan's breathing was deeper, and he was sweating just a little bit more.

She blinked up at the saiyan warrior from where she knelt at Sasuke's side. 'It's not possible, is it? Is it possible that Gohan-kun's _still_ not as strong as Orochimaru!? If that's true…' She turned horrified eyes on the sinister man across from them, 'then how powerful is he?'

Gohan was having similar thoughts. 'Damn!' he cursed. 'I'm going all out and this guy is _still_ better than me! I'm making him work, sure, but I can't keep this pace up without transforming, and he looks like he's not taking this seriously. He's testing the water, seeing what I can do, and wearing me down by matching my pace.' He glanced down at Sakura, who was watching Orochimaru as if some horrific though had occurred to her. 'She knows,' he realized. 'She knows that in the end, Orochimaru will win.' He allowed a slight slump to enter his shoulders. 'It's over. I can't win.'

Orochimaru appeared on their branch, looking smug. "Well, that was a nice warm-up. I thank you, Gohan-kun." His gold gaze turned to Sakura. "Now. I think it's time we kill the excess baggage." A sword emerged hilt-first from the man's mouth, which he grabbed. He licked his lips. "This is the Kusanagi. Pretty isn't it?" Sakura shrank back. "Oh don't worry. I'll make your death painless."

"S-Stop it!" Gohan shouted, lunging to grab the sword, to prevent a death based on a whim. A curt backhand slammed the teen into the tree's trunk. He lunged again, but was again slammed into the tree, though this time by a kick.

"Be quiet, vermin." The snake growled, losing his mask of polite malevolence and showing his true colors. "I'll deal with you in a second." He smiled, almost charmingly, at Sakura. "Now, Kunoichi-chan. Time to die!"

Gohan watched, clutching his ribs as the blade began its descent. The keen double edge glinted in the sun. Orochimaru's robe swayed gently in the wind of his arm's passage. Time was slow, giving the demi-saiyan time to observe every critical detail. He knew, he knew that Sakura's death would be imprinted in his mind for the rest of his life, just as vivid in a hundred years as it was now. He could clearly see her face, etched with fear, emerald eyes wide, mouth open in a scream, her left arm coming up in a feeble attempt to stave off death just a moment more, but it wouldn't matter, that blade would slice her arm clean off then continue into her.

He had to _do_ something! His father would be ashamed if he let someone die right in front of him!

"No." Gohan whispered, too softly for anyone to hear. Desperation and rage, rage directed solely on himself for not being able to protect, flooded him. "No." Android 16's death played itself for Gohan, in mute fast forward, yet every detail was clear and not lost on him. The image of the man's head getting stepped on was replaced by Sakura cowering.

The sword was almost to her. If he didn't act _now_ then she would die!

Gohan reached for the one weapon that could help him now.

Time sped back up.

"GOHAN-KUN! HELP ME!" She cowered, covering her head with her arms.

"Die girl!"

"NO!!"

There was an explosion behind Orochimaru, who stopped short, the edge of Kusanagi inches from cutting open Sakura's head, so close, in fact, that the kunoichi could feel the edge resting against her hair.

She became aware of a bright light shining even more brilliantly than the sun was behind Orochimaru, who had forgotten all about her and was watching the spectacle before him.

Gohan was floating inches off the ground, back arched, arms wide and his head thrown back as a long and loud yell ripped itself from his throat. He was surrounded by a shell of wind that kept coming off him in great gusts that forced even Orochimaru to shield his face with one arm or risk getting a piece of bark in his eyes.

The tree branch beneath Gohan, and the trunk behind him, cracked and splintered with noises like gunshots as the force of the saiyan warrior's ki slammed against it. Lightning crackled up and down his form before bursting off in bolts that lanced every which way and blew apart trees, setting leaves and the branch they were standing on alight, only to be extinguished a moment later by the fierce winds.

The kanji for One appeared on Gohan's chest and sent a helix of lightning into the sky as dark clouds gathered overhead, in a way similar to what happened when Shenlong was summoned. More lightning rippled overhead, going from cloud to cloud and back again in a dizzying display of raw power.

The lightning helix reversed direction and Gohan screamed long and loud from the pain that assailed every inch of his body. He felt as if he could burst into flame at any moment, but still he threw his entire being at the barrier that held his transformations back from him. The glass ceiling was immovable, unbreakable, but still the warrior persisted, driven only by the blind desire to protect that which was closest to him.

Again and again, Gohan slammed against the barrier, driving his metaphorical shoulder against it, yelling the whole time, trying to gain even the slightest trickle of power from the level of strength called Super Saiyan.

Orochimaru, getting nervous from the power that was slamming down on him, turned back to Sakura, who was watching the display with a numb and scared expression.

"Better kill you first, before he finishes up."

Gohan, still persisting in his seemingly useless assault on the barrier, heard him and renewed his desperate ramming, throwing everything he had into the push. The ceiling began to fight back, trying to drive him away and keep the balance which the seal so adamantly wanted.

Orochimaru raised Kusanagi to the heavens, the blade shining from the light of Gohan's power.

He swung.

The Son of Goku and Protector of the World drew back again, knowing this would be the last hurrah. It was either transformation or Sakura's life.

"HRAAAAAAAA!" Gohan screamed, eyes wide and almost maddened by desperation, slammed into the barrier.

The barrier warped.

The barrier stretched.

The barrier shattered.

Another explosion rocked the area and this time, the resulting shockwave blew Orochimaru clean off his feet and across the canopy to another branch where he slammed into that tree's trunk.

Sakura blinked as the branch she sat on was shattered into splinters. She grabbed at Sasuke, never removing her eyes from Gohan, and caught the Uchiha by the scruff of his shirt by sheer luck. Leaping to the branch that Orochimaru had been standing on before this, the kunoichi landed and turned around as the lightning that had been striking Gohan repeatedly vanished and the kanji on his chest expanded, glowing pure white, until it became a humming dome that totally shielded the teen from view.

Silence fell truly for the first time since Orochimaru had shown up, except for the low buzzing coming from the dome.

Sakura could hear her heart beat in her ears.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

"HRAAAAA!!"

Gohan's voice pierced the silence like an assassin's dagger and a shaft of gold light pierced the top of the dome and shot skyward, punching straight through the dark clouds overhead, blowing them away, and continued on until Sakura felt it could reach the moon.

* * *

Miles away, in Konoha, Kakashi shot through the streets, breaking speed records as he hurtled for the gates of the village. A glow spread over the horizon but it wasn't the sun. It was just getting dark now, and west was the _other_ way.

A shaft of pure golden light shot into the sky and blew twilight away, and Kakashi was so startled that he tripped and fell, face planting into the dusty main road just feet from the gate.

The Hokage, standing at the window and puffing serenely on his pipe, paled as the light blew into the sky and turned twilight back into noon. He was so shocked that he let go of the pipe, which fell from his slack grip and jaw to clatter to the ground.

He only needed a second to figure out the source.

"Gohan-kun," the old man murmured. "He's done it! He shattered the seal!"

* * *

Sakura, shielding her face from the light, peeked out as the brilliance began to fade. There was a pulse of power, which kicked up a storm of dirt and debris, forcing her to cover her face again.

When she felt secure enough to look, she lowered her arm and gasped sharply.

Gohan was bent over at the waist, arms dangling, bathed in a gold aura that filled the air with a pulsating chirping noise. His hair, the only part of his face visible, was a brilliant gold that made Naruto's seem dull and dark by comparison.

He straightened, revealing the full extent of his change. His eyes were greener than hers and icy hard from a fury that made itself known in his stance and face. Gohan's eyes even seemed shaped differently, as if the rage he was feeling had brought on the change. His face was set, stern and dangerous, so much so that Sakura felt herself trembling from just looking, and from the waves of chakra he was giving off.

Even his eyebrows were gold, just visible under the mop of golden spikes. She noticed that his hairstyle was the same, and clung to that fact, using it to reassure her that the Gohan she knew was still in this being of power and commanding presence and flaming gold aura.

The emerald eyes looked his body over and the kunoichi thought she saw a flicker of wonder and…victory? Was he happy this happened? Then his eyes steeled and he glared at Orochimaru, who looked shocked and maybe even afraid.

"Sakura." She jumped when Gohan spoke. His voice had lost its carefree tone. Now it was lower, rougher, and way more dangerous.

"Y-Yeah?"

"You alright?"

She sighed in relief, smiling weakly. If he was worried about her, then it meant that this really was Gohan-kun and not some demon. "Yeah."

"Good." He vanished. No fazing out, no blurring. Just one minute he was there, then the next gone. She didn't even blink.

"Now, Orochimaru, you and I have some unfinished business to take care of." The Sannin tensed when he heard the voice behind him.

Something told him that this was about to get ugly.

* * *

BWAHAHAHAHA! So!? How was it!? I hope you all feel the intensity I did while I was writing the transformation scene. Speaking of transformation, I'd already started writing this scene, but then I decided I took the crossover too far and deleted it, only to come out with this one, which I like better.

SO! A quick recap, Gohan's busted the first seal (Yes I said first, think back to like chapter 1, he got two), and now Orochimaru is about to find out what it's like to fight a pissed off Super Saiyan. I know some of you have been waiting on pins and needles for this particular moment and I hope I satisfied you. I went for a more DBZ feel on this one, and I think I did rather well, but I'll let you be the judge of that. Only problem is that now I have to find a way to out do this one when it comes time to bust the second seal.

Damn, this is a long A/N. Okay, I'm having a little trouble picking which kunoichi to pair Gohan with. I was doing Tenten, but now that The Disappearance is a NaruTen fic, I want a little more variety. SO! I look to you the readers. On my profile is a blind poll. Take it whenever you feel like, it won't close until next chapter. I'm gonna forgo the Glossary this time to give you guys a special treat, The Deleted Transformation Scene! It starts right after Gohan thinks that he can't win.

* * *

Deleted Transformation Scene!

* * *

_Gohan!_

The boy jerked. He _knew_ that voice, even if he hadn't heard it in more than a year. Was he hallucinating from exhaustion, or was this like that time at the Cell Games, when his father had spoken to him from Other World. There was only one way to find out.

"Dad?" He whispered, ignoring Sakura's look that told him quite clearly she'd though he'd lost it.

_Yep! How you doing, son?_

"But how?"

Orochimaru looked at Gohan's moving mouth and was reading the boy's lips. He'd lost it. There was no one there. The Sannin smirked wickedly. He would make this slow. Might as well let him finish his little delusion first.

_What do you mean?_

"You're, well, you know." Gohan was oblivious to Orochimaru being right there. He didn't want that sadist to find out that he was from another dimension.

_Know what?_ Goku's voice was puzzled.

A new voice broke in. _We're in another dimension you dumb-dumb!_ King Kai shouted. _Now hurry up! This talking across dimensions takes a lot of work and it racks up long distance!_

_Oh, sorry, King Kai. Listen Gohan, I know that you think it's hopeless, but you thought that about Cell right?_

"Yeah. So? It still doesn't explain why you're doing this."

_What, I'm not allowed to give my son a pep talk? Admit it Gohan, you need it._

_HURRY UP!_

_Alright alright, sheesh. Listen Gohan, to make a long story short, Grand Kai showed King Kai here how to talk across dimensions, and we've been watching you, Gohan. I have to say, I'm proud of you._ Gohan could hear his father grin and he felt tears well up in his eyes. _Okay, now, King Kai thinks he knows how to get you to transform and even the playing field a bit!_

"What!? Really?"

_Yep, and he says it takes resolve!_

"Resolve?"

_Yeah, and you just don't have enough. Against that ice guy you were trying to just make a way out, for that masked guy with the weird eye and the old man, you were just trying to show them. You haven't even tried for this battle and I think you can do it!_

"I still don't get it…"

King Kai cut in. _Listen very closely, cause I can't keep this up much longer. You're protecting your friends right now, right? Well, there's your resolve! Don't let them get hurt by that creepy guy! I'm not saying the transformation will be easy, but you can do it!_ Then they were gone. Gohan stood proud again, glaring at Orochimaru.

"I won't let you down, Dad." His stare became defiant again. "Orochimaru, I'm going to kill you!"

"How?" The snake asked. "You're almost at your limit, Gohan-kun. You can go no farther."

"No. I can go just a bit further."

"Oh? Show me."

Gohan slid into a deep stance. "Alright, but you asked for it!" He tensed, veins bulging on his body, muscles straining. "HRAAAAAAA!" Once again, winds blasted up around the warriors, though this time it blew with such force that it actually hurt.

Bark on the tree behind Gohan ripped and stripped away in sheets. Cracks formed on the branch beneath him, and a gold aura blazed into being around his form, flaring and growing higher in response to the Super Saiyan's growing power.

"I-I recognize this!" Sakura murmured. "This is like the day at the bridge! It was all…Gohan-kun?"

The lightning began to helix into the air, charging it with static and raising the scent of ozone. Then it doubled back and Gohan yells changed to pain.

He felt like he was on fire from every pore in his body, but his father's words rang in his ears. The power pulsed, trying to blow him of his feet, but Gohan resisted, digging his heels in and throwing his power against the barrier again and again, on the other side of which he could feel his next level begging to be released.

'Resolve!' Gohan repeated over and over in his head as his eyes changed to from black to an emerald that rivaled even Sakura's. He began to curl up, forcing his power to even greater heights. 'Resolve!'

The barrier cracked.

"I will not allow you to hurt my friends ANYMORE!!" Gohan shouted to the heavens, his voice echoing off the trees, despite the racket from his transformation.

The barrier shattered into so many pieces.

There was an explosion and everyone was knocked off their feet as Gohan screamed again and the aura went from flame-like to a column of pure gold light that shone like the sun and extended into the sky, visible for miles, pushing the clouds away from it, and bathing the forest in gold light, even shining over Konoha, where everyone stopped their business and looked at the beam that seemed to go on forever.

Kakashi gaped, almost to the gates of the village, tripping and falling from not watching where he was going.

The Sandaime's pipe dropped from his open mouth and clattered to the floor.

Sakura quit shielding her eyes as the light began to fade. She squinted then the light vanished completely. There was a burst of wind that made her shield her face again before she could look. When she felt safe again, she peeked out from her fingers.

"What the _HELL!?_" She shouted.

Gohan was completely changed. He was outlined in a chirping aura of gold ki, his muscles looked bigger and even more defined, a gentle breeze was rolling off him, but the most startling change was his face.

His eyes had turned green, greener than hers, and they burned with a cold fury that made them seem harder than an emerald. His hair was gold, even more so than Naruto's, and it was spiky, just like his normal style, though it seemed more so because now each spike was illuminated in cold golden relief. His hands, clenched at his sides, lowered to hang straight.

The boy spoke, his voice audible even over the pulsing chirp of his aura. "I will not let you hurt them anymore."


	11. Rude Awakening

Disclaimer: Own Nothing

Last time: The moment everyone's waited for! Gohan's transformation!

This time: The continuation of the battle

* * *

Sakura bounded through the trees, moving much more slowly that she had at the start of the exam. Maybe it was the fact that she was lugging both Sasuke and Naruto on her back as she struggled away from the duel that was still in progress behind her.

Sweating, she touched down on a branch, then turned around to watch what she could see of the clash of titans happening behind her. Rapid-fire condensation bubbles were erupting in the distance, accompanied by claps of thunder. Every now and again, a particularly vicious clap of thunder would roll over the Forest of Death and the shockwave from the battle would roll over the kunoichi, rustling leaves and whipping her long hair all over the place.

"Unreal," she murmured to herself. "Just unreal. Even Sasuke-kun couldn't stand up to that Orochimaru guy, and yet Gohan-kun is going toe-to-toe with him and he didn't even think twice!" Sakura looked at her two other teammates, still out like a pair of babies, both slumped on her shoulders, tied together with wire to make them easier to carry. Sasuke was starting to look flushed, as if he'd developed a fever, probably from that crazy bruise on his neck.

Naruto was snoring gently, as if he was asleep, but his expression was anything but peaceful. His right hand kept twitching in her grip, and the kunoichi wondered if it had something to do with what that guy had slammed into the genin's stomach. It certainly looked like he was trying to clutch at something.

All in all, Sakura was worried about all her teammates, but none more so than Gohan. He was engaged in mortal combat, even now, with a man that was more sadistic than anyone had ever met, even with that Zabuza guy from the Wave Country.

Another burst from the battle, more than two miles away, rolled over her, this one more powerful than the last. The pink-haired kunoichi gulped then decided to move on. She had to find a bolt-hole for the night. Besides, she told herself, Gohan was the one who told you to take Sasuke and Naruto and go.

'He wouldn't have done that if he didn't think he could win…right?' Sakura began to doubt herself right then, and she wanted to dump Sasuke and Naruto in a hidey hole and dash right back toward the warring pair and lend a hand anyway she could.

Still, the way Gohan had acted, it really inspired confidence and hope. He had…it had no word. It had been simply incredible, the portion of the battle she had seen.

* * *

"Now, Orochimaru," Gohan said, keeping his iron grip on the snake's shoulder, "you and I have some unfinished business." He drew back right as the Sannin twisted to look back at the teen who had boosted his power exponentially, right as Gohan's aura-shrouded fist drilled right into his cheek, snapping Orochimaru's head back around with a sickening crunch of bone on bone, blood mixed with saliva flying everywhere.

The moment his fist hit, Gohan released his other hand and the snake went flying, drilling straight into the ground in a massive spray of earth. The young Super Saiyan didn't hesitate, he clasped his hands, palm out, in front of his forehead, and a sparking ball of yellow ki appeared in the warrior's palms.

Sakura gulped. If this thing was anything like his Kamehameha, then there would be a tremendous explosion in a moment.

"Masenko…" Gohan's voice echoed around the clearing. The dirt cloud faded, revealing Orochimaru, buried up to his neck in the earth at the end of a long furrow, and he extracted himself right as the golden warrior fired his attack. "HAAAAAA!"

"What!?" The snake had no time to doge and was lost in the explosion that shook the earth and made an even bigger explosion, strong enough that the shockwave from it was able to send deep cracks through most of the trees in the clearing.

The smoke cleared and the debris finally settled, allowing the kunoichi and Z fighter to see the results. Orochimaru lay spread eagle on the ground below, blood running from the corners of his rolled-back eyes and covering his chin, the source being the gaping mouth.

Gohan leapt easily into the air and landed next to Sakura who flinched away from him.

"I-Is he dead?" She asked.

The blond smirked. "I wish it was that easy."

"Huh?"

"Orochimaru's one of those guys whose harder to kill than a cockroach." His smirk vanished. "Look." The snake's 'corpse' was moving. The mouth was opening larger and larger, until a pair of pale white hands emerged with a sickening noise, grasped the jaw, and forced it even further out, giving the impression of a snake devouring a bird or mouse.

Sakura shivered. "Gross!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Gohan had to laugh. There was a megalomaniac pulling himself out of his own body and all Sakura could say was 'Gross?' She should've been there when he blew Cell in half.

Now he had to do something about Orochimaru, who had fully extricated himself from himself and was soaking wet with slime or some other viscous fluid as he reached down and tugged Kusanagi out of his double's lifeless fingers.

Both warriors stared each other down, then without any spoken signal, they lanced at one another and clashed in a thunderous boom that chewed up the ground and made a sizeable crater, though neither noticed, since they were busy trading blows on the tree above it.

Fists and swords flashed, neither scoring any significant hits. Gohan had spent some of the time after the Cell games sparring with Trunks, and the other demi-saiyan hadn't given any quarter with that blade of his, which Bulma had fixed, as the two fought in the gravity room that sat underneath Capsule Corps.

Sakura was amazed. Gohan's transformation had been more than cosmetic. He was faster, stronger, tougher, his swaying and twisting form a mere blur to her eyes, as was Orochimaru's. The two sprang apart and began prepping for chakra attacks, Orochimaru wiping a trickle of blood from his lip to smear the tattoo on his arm again.

"Kamehame…"

"Ninpou!"

"HAAAAAAAA!" The streak of blue energy shot from Gohan's outstretched hands and sped for the snake man, who finished his technique in the nick of time.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A massive iron gate with a demonic face etched into the double doors sprang from the ground in a shower of rocks, which the Kamehameha slammed into with a noise like a gong then broke through, at which Orochimaru blinked, surprised, then slammed his hands into the ground again, making two more gates pop up.

Master Roshi's technique blasted through the second gate, but was significantly smaller when it did, and the result was the weakened beam slamming into the other gate, deforming the door and bowing it outward, but not destroying it.

"What?" Gohan's voice was surprised, and the other man began laughing outright at the younger fighter's shock.

"Surprised? Well, I am too, Gohan-kun." The third Sannin said with a cackle. "Who would've thought that this increase would mean you could break two of the Rashoumon gates with that one technique? That attack is simply sublime." His gold eyes lit greedily. "What's it called?"

Gohan smirked, knowing he had to put up a brave front, even though he wasn't so sure he could beat Orochimaru, even as a Super Saiyan. This guy was looking to be the Broly of his dimension, and Broly was a guy Gohan _never_ wanted to fight again. "It's called the Kamehameha."

"Turtle Destructive Wave?" The pale man repeated, shaking his head in dismay. "It sounds like something that bumbling idiot Jiraiya would come up with."

Gohan appeared in front of the snake, who took a step back at the sudden appearance.

"I still have my fists!" He shouted, burying a fist into the other man's gut so hard that blood sprayed from his mouth, his back bulged outward and the back of his robes was blown to shreds from the force of the hit.

Orochimaru slammed into a tree, splintering wood and bark, though he didn't stay down for long, walking casually out a moment or two later. The robes covering his chest were gone, hanging limply from the rope belt around his waist, showing the man's torso.

The snake was thin and wiry, so thin in fact, that the Super Saiyan could see his ribs, along with bruises that marred his white skin, a particularly nasty one already blooming on his stomach where Gohan had just blasted him.

"You still have your fists?" He repeated, laughing again. "Yes, I supposed that's true, but if that's the best you have, then I suggest that you give up. With attacks like that," he smirked confidently, "you won't be able to kill me."

Gohan let out a noise akin to a hiss and his aura flashed into being again, the chirping noise the only thing that filled the suddenly silent clearing.

"Interesting. Your chakra spiked the moment that aura came back," The Sannin said. "Does this mean that you're at one hundred percent right now?"

"Why don't you attack and find out. Or are you too afraid?" The blond-haired fighter said, smirking again. The snake wasn't stupid. He knew that this young and impudent boy was trying to goad him. He was afraid of something. Was it Orochimaru himself? No. This kid had already proven that he would rush a much stronger adversary with no hesitation at all and fight viciously to hold his own.

Was it killing? That wasn't it either. Gohan-kun's so-called "Kamehameha" and his "Masenko" had both been fired to kill. What was really interesting was that the Kamehameha was almost exponentially stronger than the Masenko. The yellow beam had wouldn't have broken one Rashoumon, much less two and dent a third. That meant the Kamehameha was an amplification of some kind.

So what was Gohan-kun's fear? The answer came to Orochimaru as if the Kami themselves had sent it to him. For all his power, speed and strength, Gohan-kun was like all the tree huggers in Konohagakure, which meant that he was bound by those troublesome morals that no shinobi should have, and that he would preach about protecting his friends. That was it, that was Gohan-kun's weakness.

Any one of those three in the trees would be good targets. Even Sasuke-kun could be attacked. Orochimaru was gambling, though, if he decided to go after the last Uchiha. If he was wrong about Gohan, then he would lose a prospective body, though the fierce warrior in front of him would make a fine replacement. That hair-change was very intriguing, since it seemed to do more than be a cosmetic change.

His predatory gaze fell on the kunoichi, Sakura, was that her name? Either way, he'd attacked her twice and failed because of Gohan's fierce drive to defend his 'precious people'. The Sannin didn't like to set store by superstitions, but in this case he'd make an exception. He hoped that phrase 'the third time's the charm' would hold true for him.

Gohan's eyes widened when Orochimaru drew back the hand that held the Kusanagi and hurled it at Sakura, who looked paralyzed at the sudden attack on her.

"Sakura! Get out of the way!" Gohan shouted, but the kunoichi just crouched down and clutched at her head, even screaming in fear. "_Damn!_"

The Super Saiyan vanished and Orochimaru smirked triumphantly. That fool was playing right into his…

There was a scream, a pulse of ki that fractured every tree in the area and blew away Kusanagi, sending the blade spinning away to stick into a tree with a dull thunk. The snake's face went blank. That kid was really starting to piss him off.

Sakura opened her eyes, and Gohan was standing over her, panting from expelling so much ki so fast.

"Sakura, are you alright?" He asked, though it sounded like there was disapproval in his voice. Was he ashamed of her for her conduct when the sword was coming for her? She lowered her eyes. Even if Gohan-kun wasn't ashamed of her, she sure as hell was. What kind of shinobi screams like a child when under fire? A not very good one, that's what. "Sakura, listen." She looked up, wondering what Gohan wanted.

"Yeah?"

"Take Naruto and Sasuke and get out of here."

"What!?" She shouted. "Get real! I'm not about to leave you! Not with that maniac down there!"

"I can take care of myself, now go!" He sounded adamant, but Sakura wasn't about to do it.

"I..but…Gohan-kun, I just can't!"

Gohan felt a bubble of anger erupt in his chest like an explosion. "Sakura!" He shouted, sounding very much like his father the first time _he'd_ transformed, "Just do as I say and get the hell out!"

Sakura flinched, surprised. Gohan had never shouted, except when he was increasing his power, nor had the kunoichi ever heard him swear. Too surprised to argue, she gathered Sasuke in her arms, jumped to Naruto's tree, where the blond was in big trouble of falling since the kunai that held him was mere inches from a fissure right below it. She pulled him out, bound the two boys together and jumped away, moving away from the battle and keeping Gohan between her and the snake man on the ground below.

Gohan watched his friend until she was beyond his sight, then turned his attention to Orochimaru, who had retrieved Kusanagi and was watching patiently from the sidelines.

"You didn't have to wait." Gohan said, putting one hand on his neck and cracking it, keeping up his mask of confidence.

"I'm not interested in some cowardly girl," the pale man answered with a sneer. "I'm more interested…" Gohan blinked and Orochimaru was gone. "_In you!_" His emerald eyes tightened as the snake's mouth opened wide and descended toward his neck.

* * *

Anko stood at the fence to the forest of death, looking in with an apprehensive expression.

'Just what the hell is going on in there?' She wondered as another series of faint thunderclaps or explosions reached her ears. It had started about ten minutes ago, right after that weird light shaft, and had been continuing off and on ever since, along with some brilliant flashes. A hissing ripple filled her ears and she saw a ripple of leaves heading straight for her.

Anko braced and grunted as a shockwave rolled over her, sending her miniskirt and trench coat flapping as she shielded her face from the biting bits of debris that laced the wind. It passed and all was quiet for a second, then the thunderclaps started up again.

"Holy shit." She murmured.

"That's the understatement of a lifetime," said a voice from behind her. The interrogator turned and saw Hatake Kakashi standing there with a grim look in his visible eye.

"You know what's going on in there?" She asked roughly, trying to hide her nervousness at the situation. Something about this clash of powers had her unsettled.

"I have an idea," Kakashi replied cryptically. "I need to get into the forest."

"Can't do that. No one aside from the genin and the proctors are allowed in once the exam starts."

"I know that." There was an edge to the masked jounin's voice. Something was up, and the way the Scarecrow was acting told Anko that he didn't have an idea. He knew _exactly_ what was happening in there. "But I really need to get in."

"What's going on in there, Hatake?" Anko demanded.

"I already told you, I don't really-"

"Don't give me that bullshit," the other snapped. "You know exactly what's happening. If you didn't, you wouldn't be so damn tense." She smirked. "So, how about a deal?"

"Fine, I agree to whatever it is," Kakashi said hurriedly, not really caring what happened at this point. He sprinted forward, planted one hand on the ground and vaulted himself over the barbed wire atop the fence, rushing off into the trees, getting swallowed by the dank foliage in a heartbeat.

Anko watched him go, then chuckled. "You know, I could disqualify you're team, Kakashi," she murmured to the air before shaking her head, "but I think I'll have to come up with something more exotic for you." She grinned sadistically, until her Curse Seal, dormant for years, suddenly came alive with its classic burning pain, driving her to her knees and her hand to her neck.

"Shit!" She grunted through gritted teeth, her free hand clawing at the ground until she managed to force down the pain and stand up. Without another word, she vaulted into the trees and chased after Kakashi, knowing exactly what the reason was for the Seal's sudden activation.

_He _was here. Here in Konoha. Her pulse quickened as she approached the thunderous booms that echoed all over the forest. Orochimaru. He would pay!

* * *

Gohan's yells filled the clearing, his aura flaring like a wild flame, the tops of the trees already reduced to so many splinters, held aloft by nothing but his ki's strength.

Clinging to the shattered remains of another of the massive trees, Orochimaru watched with greedy fascination as the boy's power continued to spiral higher and higher. He was much stronger than he let on, but he still couldn't defeat the Sannin, they both knew that. That was the whole reason they'd let the kunoichi go.

As long as she was there, Gohan would hold back to protect her. Gohan had let her go to protect her from himself, and Orochimaru had let her go to see this interesting young lad at his full power. Now that power had done interesting things to the environment around them. The tops of the trees were shattered, the trunks nothing but splintered shafts, on top of which the Sannin stood.

The boy finished and let of a massive pulse of power that resonated through the whole forest, and the snake man knew that this would be interesting. The boy's ferocity on the attack was most of the reason that he was still alive, but his reflexes were excellent, as he'd proven just a few minutes ago.

When Orochimaru had tried to mark the boy, he'd reacted faster than should've been humanly possible, bringing his right elbow up in a hard blow to Orochimaru's jaw, lifting him off his feet, from which he'd spun and driven his left palm into his enemy's stomach, throwing him through a few trees, and following up with a huge blast of ki that'd lit the area like a second sun.

He'd been forced to do another one of his special Kawarimi Jutsu to avoid it. The boy hadn't hesitated and had begun his power up. The winds had been so fierce that Orochimaru hadn't been able to get close, so he'd decided to wait it out and see what the kid had up his sleeve.

Gohan felt a visceral pleasure flood his system. His Saiyan blood was coming to a boil. He was getting embroiled in the fight, as all Saiyans were prone to doing. The teen tried to fight it, but it was hard. If he got tied up fighting now, then he wouldn't be able to even survive. It was clear to him that Orochimaru was indeed the Broly of his dimension. No matter how hard or how many times Gohan struck him, that snake found a way around it or just brushed it off. There was a prime example in when Orochimaru had tried to mark him like he'd done to Sasuke.

Despite the increase granted by his transformation, Gohan was still behind Orochimaru by a very wide margin. He scowled. If he wanted to defeat or kill this man, then he'd need his all. He'd need the power Super Saiyan Two granted. He scowled deeper. The last time he'd tried to transform, he'd been blown off his feet and knocked out. If that happened this time, he'd be killed or marked. Orochimaru wouldn't be as kind as Haku was.

'Better not risk it. I hope I've bought Sakura enough time to get away and find a place to hide.' Gohan began running through options to figure out how he could get away without getting killed. To do that, he'd need to distract Orochimaru. He smirked. The young demi-saiyan had an idea.

Orochimaru cocked an eyebrow as Gohan fazed out, reappearing on the forest floor and scooped something up, slinging it over his head. When he pulled his arms away, he vanished again and reappeared right in front of the Snake Sannin, his cape billowing from his shoulders.

The Sannin grinned malevolently. "Oh? Are you so confident that you're putting your cape back on?" He snorted. "Quite the ego you have there, Gohan-kun."

Gohan just grinned and put his hands to his temples, palms inward, fingers spread. "Sorry, but it's clear that I can't defeat you like I am now," he said, "so I think it's time to say goodbye."

"You're going to kill me, Gohan-kun? What attack do you have up your sleeve now?"

"As much as I wish I could, I can't, and Sakura's waiting for me. So, see you later!" He grinned the Son grin and shut his eyes. "TAIYOKEN!"

Orochimaru screamed in shock and anger as a massive flash shot from nowhere and made the world go dark with the gray-green afterimage of Gohan with his hands next to his face burned into his brain. He, for several seconds, was totally blind and, in his surprise, didn't pay attention to his other senses.

Finally, mercifully, and after a seeming eternity, the world, very blurry and out of focus, swam into view, then gradually sharpened until he could see well again. He looked around, cast out his senses, listened for any small hint, but he couldn't feel, hear, smell, sense or see anything.

Gohan-kun had given him the slip.

The snake was alone on the ravaged battleground, which was littered with fractured trees, the tops of which were gone, laying as just so much mulch on the forest floor below, which was littered with craters and sections of ravaged ground where the Rashoumon gates had appeared, where the Masenko and Kamehameha attacks had struck, along with just impacts from the blows they had thrown.

Rage erupted in him. A _kid_ had stood up to him, Orochimaru, and not only held his own, but got away. His scream of anger pierced the now-quiet forest and sent a flock of birds into flight. Night was coming fast and he had to get away. Anko-chan was in the area and her Seal would've activated with the surges in his chakra.

She would alert Konoha's ANBU units and, even as powerful as he was, would be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. He had to get out and hide. Sasuke-kun was marked by a seal, and as long as Team Seven stayed together, Gohan-kun be found nearby the Uchiha.

He cackled evilly. "I'll mark you eventually, Gohan-kun," he promised as he melted into a shattered stump that had been a tree earlier that day. "I swear it!"

* * *

Kakashi and Anko bounded from limb to limb with an urgency that spoke of unseen dangers and a potential for a big emergency. Soon, they began to see signs of the battle between Gohan and Orochimaru. They burst through a copse of trees and felt their stomachs rise into their throats as the two jounin stepped into thin air and plummeted towards the ground as they simply ran out of branches.

Both twisted and landed cat-like as silently as they could. The duo stood, gaping at the destruction. Craters, shredded trees and leaves, and fissures surrounded them and the canopy was simply gone. Kakashi thought it was probably lying at their feet as just so much saw dust.

Anko whistled. "Damn. What happened here?" She asked. Kakashi's answer was to raise one hand to his hirai-ate and tug it upward, baring his Sharingan. He closed his normal eye and noted the residual chakra that laced the area.

"This was no genin-level battle. Whoever fought here had massive amounts of chakra or something more destructive that hasn't been seen before."

"Orochimaru was here, I know it," Anko said, massaging her jacket's shoulder, which hid the Curse Seal. "And what do you mean something else?"

The Sharingan-wielding shinobi next to her stepped forward and began sniffing. Someone might think that it was stupid, but Anko knew that Kakashi was the best tracker outside of the Inuzuka, and some would say even better.

"There's a whole myriad of scents here. Most of it is from explosions and the wood being split, but there're human scents here."

"Can you ID them?"

"Oh yeah. It's my team."

"You're team?" Anko asked, disbelief clear in her tone. "You're telling me your team went toe-to-toe with one of the Sannin and there're no bodies here? You're slipping Kakashi, there's no way that could happen."

"I never said my entire team, Anko. I'm thinking of one person."

Anko jolted. "You're kidding. _One_ genin had enough power to go against a _Sannin_!?"

"Yeah. I'm sure it's Gohan."

"Gohan? You mean that fourth kid that you got the waiver for?"

"That's him."

Anko shook her head. "I still say it's impossible."

"Not if he uses ki it's not."

"Ki? You really are going senile. It's impossible to use ki."

Kakashi's eyes curled. "Well, I'll explain later as best I can. I'm still not clear on the specifics myself. Anyway, I'm sure Gohan was able to get the other three out with no serious injuries. I'm going ahead to the tower, so you can come with me or look for Orochimaru."

"Do you have his scent?"

"Yeah, but it's faded. I really think your chances of finding him are slim now that the sun's down." It was true. Night had set some time earlier and the shadows were deep. A Sannin like Orochimaru would be able to all but turn invisible with this kind of darkness.

Anko nodded reluctantly. "I guess. I'm sure he'll stick around too. He never did anything with no reason, so until he's satisfied with the results, he'll be nearby."

"Right."

A pair of nods and the two were off in a set of blurs.

* * *

Sakura flinched as an owl hooted nearby. It was very late and she was jumpy. The kunoichi felt very naked here in the Forest of Death without anyone watching her back. Sasuke and Naruto were both still out cold inside the hollow she'd found in a tree's roots. A quick few cuts of a kunai on some moss and she had a covering for the opening that mimicked the hanging curtains of the moss in the forest rather nicely. Now she was hidden in the shadows and keeping a vigilant watch for both enemies and Gohan, who still wasn't back from his battle with Orochimaru, and that was starting to worry her.

Even as far from the battle as they were, Sakura had still been able to hear the thunderous claps of blows, the flash of ki attacks, and the occasional huge shockwave. For almost half an hour, the forest had been silent and the wildlife, recognizing that their domain was quiet for the time being, had begun to make their discordant racket again.

'Gohan-kun, where are you?' She wondered. Sakura didn't think he was dead. Somehow that just didn't seem possible. Gohan seemed leagues ahead of any shinobi in the world. It just didn't seem possible that he could potentially die, even if he'd looked tense during the battle. Something had changed with the other teen and it had nothing to do with that hair change of his. It was the way he carried himself. Even during the battle with Zabuza, he'd been relaxed, confident. With Orochimaru, all that had changed. He'd been tense, as if he wasn't sure of the outcome.

A chill that had nothing to do with the dank cold that clung to the forest washed over her. Gohan was the strongest person she knew. Even Kakashi-sensei was weaker. Something just told her that even the legendary Copy-Nin was weaker than Son Gohan. To think that Orochimaru was stronger was…frightening to say the least.

Sakura jumped when she realized that the forest around her had gone eerily quiet. There was no sign of a chirp or hoot anywhere. That screamed that someone was near her.

The bushes shuffled and a shadow stumbled out. Sakura slipped a kunai from her holster and got ready to throw it at the intruder. Then the shadow stumbled into the wan moonlight and the kunoichi let out a cry of surprise before running towards the intruder.

* * *

"So, Kakashi, you think that one participant in the battle was Gohan-kun and the other was Orochimaru?" The Sandaime said, puffing speculatively on his pipe.

Kakashi nodded at the Hokage. After he and Anko had returned to the tower in the center of the forest, he'd summoned Pakkun and sent the little pug puppy off to fetch the elderly leader. Once Sarutobi had arrived, he'd demanded to hear the story, which Kakashi had lost no time in relaying, until he'd finished and the Hokage has asked his questing.

"Yeah. I'm almost sure it was Gohan. This forest is filled with genin and I can't think of one who'd have the power to stand against Orochimaru."

"Do you suspect as I do that he's broken the seal?"

Kakashi rubbed his spiky silver hair. "I think it's highly possible. That pillar of light earlier seems to point to that fact."

"What!?" Anko said, sitting bolt upright on the couch where she'd been lounging. "One kid was responsible for that?"

"We think so," Sarutobi replied, sending a smoke ring towards the ceiling. "Gohan-kun certainly has the strength. If he's broken the seal that holds back his real power, then it's highly likely."

Anko shook her head. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I," Kakashi admitted. "But then, you didn't see him wipe the floor with Zabuza or how he arrived in this world."

"That's the other thing I don't get," Anko added. "Another dimension? You're pulling my leg." She crossed her arms. "And I don't like it when that happens!"

The Hokage chuckled at the kunoichi's anger. "Until you've seen Gohan-kun fight, you never will." He walked to the bank of video cameras and found the one that watched the area where Gohan had been fighting. He rewound the tape to the point when the pillar of light shot into the sky, but the moment the light cleared, the camera went blank.

"I thought these cameras were resistant against stuff like chakra overload?" Anko asked.

"They are," Kakashi said, looking at the screen with a pensive look in his eye. "That should tell you what kind of power was being slung around there."

"I think we should continue the exams. If we do that, then the answer of just what Gohan-kun's breaking of the seal means should be revealed in time," the Sandaime said, also looking solemn.

The two jounin had nothing to say to that and silence fell as they looked at the static-filled monitors. Both Sandaime and Kakashi had suspicions, but no concrete proof about Gohan, aside from they knew he was behind it.

For them, only time would tell.

* * *

Gohan almost shot a ki blast at the shadow that lunged from him from the roots of the tree where he'd sensed Sakura's ki, but he stopped short when he was enveloped in a tight hug from the kunoichi herself, who was bawling her eyes out into his shoulder.

"Uh, Sakura? Are you okay?"

It seemed to bring her around and she looked up at him, green eyes watery with unshed tears. "I was worried about you, you jerk!" She said, her tone suddenly carrying the undercurrents of anger. The longer she looked at him, the angrier she seemed to get. "You throw me out of the battle then don't come back _all day_, while I'm here with two injured teammates and wondering if the other one's okay!"

She took a deep breath, then she cracked him over the head with enough force to plant the demi-saiyan face first into the dirt. "Do you have _any _idea how _worried_ I've been!?" She shrieked the best she could while still whispering.

Gohan gave a muffled apology from where he was. He really didn't feel like standing up. He was exhausted from his skirmish with Orochimaru. After using the Taiyoken, he fazed into the foliage, knowing he was too weak to kill the Sannin right then, and dropped Super Saiyan before squashing his ki as low as it would go. From there, he'd snuck his way over the forest floor like any common civilian. That's why it'd taken him 'till after dark to reach the campsite because he'd had to sneak past other examinees, through thorny bushes and other pointy-type plants.

Needless to say, he looked a little worse for wear, in addition to the bruises and scrapes he'd accumulated against Orochimaru. It was odd. He'd gone against the biggest megalomaniac in this world and both of them had come out of it with only minor bruises and wounds, though Gohan knew that Orochimaru had underestimated him and that was the reason he wasn't more grievously injured.

He stood and felt the implications of the day's events simply wash over him, making him slump, his eyes drooping, as his body screamed at him to fall asleep right there.

"Gohan-kun? Are you alright?" Sakura's voice was coming as if from a great distance.

"I think I overdid it a little," Gohan answered with a weak laugh and a watery smile. "Don't worry," he added, stumbling through the moss curtain, the pink-haired kunoichi beside him as she helped him inside the little hollow and found a place that wasn't taken up by the forms of Naruto and Sasuke. "I'm not hurt. Just _really _tired." He yawned as if on cue. He glanced over the two unconscious boys. "No change?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, but Sasuke-kun's fever has gotten more intense." Even in the moonlight, a thin sheen of sweat could be seen beading on the Uchiha's face. His slightly gasping breaths were the only thing in the hollow for a moment. Sakura jumped when Gohan gave an abrupt snore and scared her. She smiled when she saw him curled up and sounding like he was trying to saw down the entire forest again.

The kunoichi left the hollow with a slight twinge of apprehension. They had one scroll, no sign of a second one _and_ both Sasuke and Naruto were both out cold and Gohan was out like a light for the foreseeable future. Sakura had no idea how long it took ki to come back. Chakra could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few months, depending on how much you used and how much you had. Ki was completely unknown to her.

'Stop,' she commanded herself. 'You're the one they're depending on right now, so you have to defend them. So get to work Haruno Sakura.'

With that, she dug out a kunai and some wire, then got to work setting traps and building other fortifications.

* * *

Well that's that. Sorry this took so long. The other stories gave me a hard time, and I'm home and taking summer courses until sometime in August, whereupon I return to AZ for normal college. Long story short, the updates may be a little slow in coming, but they WILL come, that I promise. Sorry if this seemed a little short, but the next one should wrap up the Exams and get into the Prelims, so therefore longer. Pairing: It's a tie between Ino and Sakura, and since Sakura already seems to be developing feelings for Gohan, I think it'll be her. Sorry to whoever doesn't like this, but don't worry, I'll toughen her up and make her not so whiny.

-Edit: Changed something to make the story flow better. Nothing major though.

**Glossary**

**Rashoumon: **These are the gates that Orochimaru summons to block and nullify attacks. These weren't even seen until Shippuden, but against a Kamehameha, hey, I would've used them.

**Masenko:** Gohan's other major ki attack. Taught to him by Piccolo during the Saiyan Arc.

**Taiyoken: **Literally 'Fist of the Sun', though it's translated by Funimation as Solar Flare. It's essentially a bright flash of light that blinds the enemies. Goku's blocked it before with Master Roshi's sunglasses. Tien's technique initially, but both Goku and Krillin have copied it with seemingly no training, so I would imagine that it's easy to duplicate.


	12. Stepping Up

Disclaimer: Own nothing

Last Time: Gohan goes toe-to-toe with Orochimaru!

This time: Sakura gets into trouble.

* * *

Sakura worked thought the night to get the area around her tree secured and locked down, then she settled in to keep watch, knowing that she would be up all night since there was no one to swap out with.

She never noticed the three pairs of eyes watching her from the shadows of a nearby copse of bushes.

"Well well, I didn't think we'd run in to Sasuke like this," Dosu commented softly to his companions as they watched Sakura's eyes flick from side to side, even passing over their hiding spot more than once, though there was no sign she'd spotted them, both in her eyes and in her posture. There was also the possibility that she had made them and was just a good actor, but somehow Dosu doubted it. Maybe he was sexist or maybe he was biased against Konoha-nin, but either way, Dosu didn't think they'd been spotted.

"You think that Son Gohan bastard is with them?" Zaku asked, sounding almost eager. The rough-looking shinobi had been raring to attack the black-haired kid almost from the moment they'd entered the forest and Dosu had had to remind him more than once that their primary objective was Uchiha Sasuke and not the other kid.

Kin snorted derisively. "How many times do we have to tell you?" She asked, knowing full well that she would get under Zaku's skin. "Our target is Sasuke, or are you in love with that other kid?" She smirked. "Gee, Zaku, I didn't know you swung that way."

"You bitch," Zaku snarled, at a volume that was probably louder than was prudent. "You trying to start something!?" Kin just snorted but neither of her 'teammates' missed her hand dipping into her leg holster where her belled senbon were.

Zaku's hands cracked in warning, like a rattlesnake wiggling its tail.

"Enough!" Dosu commanded sharply. "Are the two of you _trying_ to give away our position? The girl there will find us and something tells me that we don't need to face all four of them."

That got their attention and the two calmed down, settling into the crouches they'd been in before, leaving a simmering feeling between the two and a hint of killing intent. Dosu tensed when he saw Sakura stare at them for almost a full minute, even rising from her sitting position in front of the tree, but then she settled back down and, to the glee of the sound trio, she was asleep within half an hour of Zaku and Kin's altercation.

Smirking to each other, the trio set watch and fell asleep.

* * *

All around the forest, the Exam drew to an almost universal halt as the genin found bolt-holes and settled in for the night, falling asleep with the exception of one. Some industrious genin ambushed the other team as they slept, but most the endeavors were in vain as they fell prey to traps set by their adversaries or other hazards in the forest.

Gaara sat up, his face harshly illuminated by the moonlight that managed to filter through the trees of the forest, contemplating his existence and trying to ignore the shrieking of Shukaku inside his head, who was demanding that the insomniac shinobi head out into the forest and kill every shinobi he came across. Gaara was almost tempted into doing just that, but then a face would swim into focus.

A face with a black mop of hair, eyes of equal color and a purple gi that did almost nothing to hide his strength, prominently displayed in the form of his cut muscles. That kid had gotten under Gaara's skin in the worst way, simply because he'd gawked at the sandy-haired genin like no one else. The violent Jinchuuriki would've been more than happy to crush that teen in a swirl of demonic sand, but Baki had specifically said that he was not permitted any killings that might warrant investigation.

Gaara's teal eyes narrowed and there was a noise like a snake slithering over dried leaves came from the gourd on his back as the sand inside sloshed around in response to his anger and bloodlust, his demon's voice howling like a hurricane, demanding the blood of the brat.

A vicious grin graced the Jinchuuriki's features. He would die, his mother would see to that!

* * *

The hours passed quickly, and before anyone knew it, the sun was rising, dying the leaves of the forest a bloody red hue. Sakura blinked awake, a kunai clutched slackly in her grip, then she started as the bushes rustled, three ominous shadows moving from their concealment.

"Well, you're not a very good watch, are you?" The middle nin asked her, his voice sneering, totally confident. He was a fearsome looking teen with gray camouflage pants, a fur shawl of some kind and a weird-looking device on his arm that looked like a mix between a shield and a slice of Swiss cheese. A hirai-ate with a musical note etched into it was tied proudly around his forehead, really the only defining on his mummified features.

The girl, a plain-looking kunoichi if Sakura was one to judge, snorted in amusement along with the other shinobi on the team who looked as if he'd grown up on the streets all his life, with a tuft of spiky black hair poking up above his hirai-ate, two protrusions coming down to cover his cheeks and cover his jawbone.

Street Punk, as Sakura dubbed him, stepped forward with an arrogant swagger that reminded Sakura of Naruto Sasuke and Gohan, that walk that implied that they could handle any situation. "Tell us where Son Gohan and Uchiha Sasuke are," he said, cracking the fingers on one hand, "and maybe I'll let you live."

The fear in the girl's eyes shimmered as if she was about to cry, but at the demand to show them Sasuke and Gohan, the look in her eyes steeled and the grip on her kunai tightened dangerously.

Zaku smirked. "That's alright. I know that they're in that tree behind you." His tone was conversational as he raised his hands, palm out, and leveled them at the tree. Sakura caught a glimpse of two holes in his hands. Sakura didn't wait to find out what they could do.

Her hand flashed and the kunai sped from it in flash of metal, speeding between Kin and Dosu to streak into the bushes.

Sakura flung her body to the side as a crunching and crashing noise sounded from above. Zaku looked up and fear dawned in his eyes as a huge section of tree came tumbling down at him, bouncing off limbs and the trunk of the tree in which it had been strung up, making predicting where it was going to land almost impossible.

The kunoichi saw him thrust up his hands, shout something, and the tree just shattered. Sakura didn't know what was going on, nor did she care. Two shuriken flew from her hands, spinning at Zaku, tearing small gashes in his arms before streaking on to home in on Dosu and Kin.

They leapt out of the way, but were forced to dodge again when two new shuriken blossomed from the first's shadows. Now the trio was split wide open and Zaku was the first to feel Sakura's attack. Before he could get his arms up, she was on him, kicking and punching. Zaku was able to knock her back and he whipped a kunai at her. The kunoichi's eyes narrowed, her hands flying.

The kunai struck.

Sakura erupted into a puff of smoke, a log thudding down in her place.

"Kawarimi," Dosu noted. "How…Elementary."

A blur shot from the bushes and let loose with a volley of shuriken that he allowed to bounce off his metal bracer in tiny bursts of sparks and clinking noise. He was forced to keep his arm up to stop the kunai that stabbed down viciously.

"There's something to be said for the basics," Sakura growled as she jumped back.

"Don't get cocky you little bitch!" Zaku shouted as he leveled his hands. "DIE!"

Kin noticed that Sakura didn't have a shadow. "No! Wait you dumbass that's not…"

A raging wall of wind spewed forth from Zaku's outstretched hands. Sakura flickered then winked from existence like a bad hologram. Just before the attack, she'd used the Bunshin jutsu to slip away. Dosu shouted in pain as his body was ripped in several places from the wind itself and some of the debris caught up the typhoon.

Zaku looked horrified, but more at the fact that he'd missed. "What!?"

Dosu got to his feet, looking a little mad as his bandages turned red with blood. "Zaku, you idiot. Watch where you aim next time."

A kunai zipped past Kin's nose, missing by a bare inch, then there was the faint twang of a wire being cut. More weapons launched from the shadows. The Sound Trio realized too late that Sakura had rigged the entire area with traps.

The next thought the team had was that they'd been played.

First she'd used the traps to separate them and split the defense, then they'd been turned on each other through clever attack timings and split second Kawarimis. Curiously though, she hadn't finished off the attack with a big finishing-type jutsu. There were several possibilities, ranging from holding back to the simple fact that she was too weak to use one.

Dosu leaned toward the latter. The girl hadn't looked impressive or like she'd possessed a Kekkei Genkai.

"Come out, little girl," he called in a mock singsong voice. "Just tell us where Sasuke is and we'll let you go. We'll even make the Uchiha's death painless."

Sakura's answer came as a distance, echoing "Like hell!" came at them.

"She's moved out pretty far to get her reply to echo like that," Kin said. "She's abandoned her friends. Let's kill them now, huh?"

"Good idea. I wanna get back at that little whore for these cuts!" Zaku grumbled, the gashes on his arms giving a particularly harsh surge of pain as if in response to his hatred. "Zankuu…"

More shuriken rained from above, stopping Zaku's attack cold. Sakura dropped from above and stood ready to defend her team from the attack.

Dosu's head cocked like a homicidal puppy. "How'd you do that?"

Sakura smirked. "Ventriloquism. Don't they teach that at the Sound academy?" Zaku stepped up again, anger flaming in his eyes.

"You think you're so clever?" he snarled. "We'll show you why Orochimaru-sama will level this pathetic village!"

"Wait! Orochimaru? You're with him!?"

Kin outright laughed. "Of course. You know, that hair of yours is the wrong color. You should be a blond. What did you think Orochimaru was?"

Sakura flushed at the other girl's scathing remarks, lowering herself into a crouch to charge the enemy shinobi.

Zaku grinned viciously. "I don't think so. Time to kill Sasuke, and I'm gonna start with you!" He thrust his hands forward and there was a roar like a freight train, the hurricane that spewed from his palms bending the scruffy grass and kicking up a massive cloud of dust that obscured Sakura from view.

An explosion rattled the forest and Zaku straightened up with a self-serving smirk. "Keh, so much for Miss Konoha." He turned his hands on the tree. "Now for the Pretty-Boy and Son Gohan."

"Whatever, Zaku," Kin grumped. "Whenever you're done blabbing."

"Shut up. Zankuu…"

"Dynamic ENTRY!"

"Wha-ARRRRRGHHHHHH!!" Zaku only had a moment to see the orange shin erupt form the smoke screen to nail him right in the face, sending him bouncing over the ground to land ass in the air against a tree.

Dosu and Kin sweatdropped before turning on their 'assailant'. He was something to behold, a lanky boy with bandaged forearms, green spandex, orange legwarmers, shiny bowl cut and, probably most intimidating, dark eyebrows that looked like they could be passed off as caterpillars.

"Who are you?" Dosu asked, mentally looking for a way to take out this latest annoyance.

The new arrival struck a pose that ended with a grin so shiny that the wan light actually glinted off of it. "I am the Beautiful Green Beast of Konohagakure! I am Defender of Light and Peace and the Springtime of Youth! I am Rock Lee!"

The excited speech left the Sound shinobi wondering if their ears were ever going to stop ringing and Sakura was contemplating hearing aids, since she was hanging like a piece of baggage under Lee's arm. He set her down and settled into his stance.

Dosu smirked beneath his bandages. The kid was obviously a protégé of some taijutsu master. He would make an excellent form of amusement. "I'll handle this," he said smugly as he stepped up, making sure his special bracer was exposed.

Zaku huffed, obviously pissed, but he held his tongue for once and allowed the mummy of the group to fight the strange Leaf-nin.

'Three on one, not good odds.' Lee thought. He almost wished that Neji was there to watch his back, both literally and metaphorically. Few could contest that a Byakugan user was an asset to any team. 'I will have to take them out one by one. Maybe I'll even have to use _that_ technique.'

Dosu charged, drawing back with the hand that had the metallic shield on it. Lee dropped to his knees and slammed his hand through the hard soil, grasped the first big object he felt and yanked it up. The object turned out to be a root the size of a small house.

The top of the root exploded as Dosu's attack hit.

"Your attacks are illusions," Lee said, speculating out loud. "So it'd pointless to dodge as if your attacks are real."

"Believe what you want," Dosu answered as he touched down. "It won't change the fact that you're dead."

"We will see." Lee's foot twisted and he vanished. Dosu only got a glimpse of a foot right before it slammed into his temple making stars dance and his whole body go numb. The mummy tumbled head over heels much like Zaku had done, but he got his feet under him and vaulted onto all fours, trying to stop the backwards skid he found himself in.

"Too slow."

Dosu again tried to turn, but he was grabbed, spun around, then launched through the air to bounce off the exposed root like a rubber ball before Lee was in the air behind him, spiking him into the ground in burst of dirt and debris.

Kunai shot from the direction of the girl, who seemed to have picked up a second wind. Dosu allowed the weapons to bounce off his bracer then sprinted at Lee again, who copied the move, the two colliding with a sound like two mountain goats slamming their skulls together.

The two warring shinobi sprang apart before rushing back together and beginning to trade blows. The whole time, Lee could feel his balance slipping. Something the enemy was using was messing with his inner ear. The bowl-cut shinobi was willing to bet that it was that crazy bracer the guy had too. Lee had to end this before it got any worse.

Skidding apart again, Lee partially unbound some of the bandages on his arms. 'Gai-sensei, please forgive me,' he said to his mentor then he made a single hand seal. The green shinobi crouched low then simply vanished.

Everyone started but none more than Dosu.

A sandal flew from nowhere and caught him beneath the chin, lifting him off he feet and flinging him high into the sky. He tried to twist for his landing but found he couldn't move.

"Don't bother," Lee's voice said in the mummy's ears. "It is useless to fight this technique." Bandages, seeming to have a life of their own, encircled Dosu and bound him tight, followed hotly by Lee's arms which encircled the mummy like a vice. Then they flipped over and began spinning faster and faster until Dosu wasn't able to make out any details in the world that had become nothing but a hurricane of color.

"Ura Renge!"

There was a massive explosion that shook the entire forest, sending a massive pillar of soil skyward and a blast of wind tearing at everyone in the area. Lee, who'd hopped clear at the last minute, slid to a stop in front of Sakura, who looked amazed.

"Wow, Lee-san, that was great!" She gushed, not believing that the creepy, outlandish genin was capable of that kind of power.

Dosu sat up.

"How did he…?" Sakura asked.

"Impossible!" Lee shouted. Then he saw the small bulge of soft looking soil, which had twin trails that led right back to the rough looking shinobi that'd used that weird blast attack earlier.

Dosu shook his head as if to clear some cobwebs. "No, not impossible. The attack used sound waves to pulverize the soil and turn it into the softest of pillows." He staggered slightly. "Still, even with the cushion, I was almost killed by that. Congratulations." He hefted his bracer a little higher. "Now, it's my turn."

Lee took a straight blow to the face, throwing him off his feet, even though he'd seen and predicted how it would land. Still, the use of the first gate had utterly wiped him out, so he was totally immobile. His balance was getting worse too. There wasn't too much he could do now.

"What?" Kin asked Sakura when she'd flinched at the sight of Lee's plight. "Are you scared, Hime-chan? Too scared to help? You did pretty good earlier…Or could it be that you've run out of traps?" Sakura tried not to flinch, because that was exactly the case. All her tricks were used up. Lee took another vicious blow and Sakura flinched again, not looking at the genin getting beat up.

A rough hand grabbed the back of her hair, forcing her head around to watch. "You're gonna watch, Hime-chan, I'm gonna make sure of that. Dosu!" The mummy stopped for a moment. "Make it slow!"

"Sure. I'm gonna enjoy this." He started beating Lee to a pulp. Sakura thought that she could hear the shinobi's ribs cracking all the way over where she was.

"Lee-san!" A hard yank on the back of her head shut her up.

"Quiet. Little cowards like you don't get to talk. As a matter of fact, Zaku, why don't we rough her up a bit too?"

Zaku grinned viciously. "Sure. I owe her for my arms." He stopped in front of her and Sakura couldn't keep the fear off her face or the shake from her limbs. Zaku's fist drew back and Sakura's world became a lump of pain as hard blows rained down on her time and again. She could here Zaku and Kin laughing, Lee screaming and her own shouts and yelps as she called for everyone from the Kami to Gohan-kun to come save her.

Suddenly, Zaku was gone. Simply gone.

"What the hell!?" Kin shouted. One moment her teammate had been beating up Hime-chan and the next he'd simply vanished. "What happened?"

There was a ripple in the air as some kind of _force_ passed behind her, making Kin turn to look.. Sakura took advantage of her captor's distraction to pull a kunai from her holster and slice her hair to get free, pulling out of the other kunoichi's grip.

There was a crunching noise and Kin flew past to slam into a tree and slump, either dead or out cold, the Leaf girl couldn't tell from where she was. When Sakura looked behind her, she almost screamed with joy.

Gohan was awake, his features stern and he looked pissed, his hair alternating from gold to black as he tried to control his anger. That stopped though when Sakura threw her arms around his neck in relief.

"Thanks, Gohan-kun! I thought I was dead!" She continued thanking him, slowly dissolving into tears as the gravity of the situation caught up with her. She really could've died. That thought terrified her, and she had been shown in a most brutal way that she was powerless without Gohan, Naruto and Sasuke to stand in front of her.

Gohan slowly lowered her to the ground, feeling awkward. A sobbing kunoichi wasn't something that he was used to. His mother had never cried except when his dad had died. "Uh, it's okay now Sakura," he said. "I'm feeling a lot better and Sasuke's up too."

"Sasuke-kun!? Really!?" That did it, she quit crying and looked around, then her expression turned to one of horror. Sasuke was half covered in black marks that looked like flames and he had Dosu in a submissive position, the arms held back and his foot buried in the teen's shoulder blades, pushing. "Sasuke-kun! Stop!"

Gohan looked over and also looked like he wasn't too pleased at Sasuke's condition. When the two of them had woken up, all of Sasuke's side had been hidden in shadow. Sasuke had simply said that Sakura was in danger and they had to move fast to save her.

The young saiyan hadn't hesitated and had moved as fast as he could, anger lighting his system like lava when he saw what was happening to Sakura. The rage had been so intense that it'd surprised him a little. Since when had he become this attached to the kunoichi? Well, either way, he'd moved as fast as he could to save her. Thankfully, all she'd gotten away with were maybe some broken bones and a haircut. Actually, since Zaku had mostly pummeled her face, she might only get off with a concussion and some contusions. She certainly would be bruised and battered.

Now though, Sasuke was the bigger matter. He was increasing the tension on Dosu's arms and the nin was howling in pain as his shoulder joints were stretched to the breaking point.

"WAIT YOU CRAZY BASTARD, WAIT!!" Dosu screamed.

Sasuke grinned, one that reminded Gohan of Orochimaru's grin. That was all the Saiyan hybrid needed to rush at the possessed genin. Even if that mummy-nin was the enemy, that was no reason to torture him.

Gohan fazed out.

He was a microsecond too late. Dosu's arms snapped with a sound like a gunshot right as Gohan's fist connected with Sasuke's cheek, knocking the dark shinobi loose and slamming him into a tree with enough force to crack the thick bark straight up into the high leafy canopy.

Sasuke's eyes, blazing with an activated Sharingan, glared hard at Gohan, who by then was in the Uchiha's face and had his shirt gathered into a fist, pinning the genin to the tree.

"Let go."

"No."

Sasuke's hand gripped Gohan's wrist. "Let go," the Uchiha growled, tightening his grip on the other teen's arm.

The warrior shook his head. "I'm not letting go. Why should I? You'll just try to kill that shinobi again."

"We're ninja, Gohan. Get over it, it's what we do." Sasuke said in a velvety voice. Gohan was feeling more and more uneasy by the second. The silent boy was acting odd, a little too close to Orochimaru for Gohan's liking. If it came down to a fight, well, the Super Saiyan was going to do what he had to do to stop Sasuke at any cost.

"Wrong. I'm not a shinobi."

"Then get out of the way."

"I'm not going to let you kill him in cold blood."

Sasuke relaxed, eyes falling shut as if he was contemplating something. "Well," he said finally, "I guess that means I have to go through you doesn't it?" Sasuke's fist flashed and Gohan, reacting on instinct, released the avenger, twisting away from the blow.

Sasuke lunged, but the other teen was following through, his heel slicing up for the Uchiha's temple. Sharingan whirling, the possessed genin grabbed Gohan's ankle, using it as a bar to vault himself into the air. For a moment, he contemplated attacking the fourth member of his team, but he spotted Dosu trying to crawl away like the vermin he was.

"Katon!" Gohan blinked in with surprise when he suddenly realized what the Uchiha genius was planning. "Housenka no Jutsu!" A swarm of mini fireballs poured forth from Sasuke's lips, speeding toward Dosu, who twisted around, single unbandaged eye widening with fear, reflecting the burning fireballs getting closer and closer.

Gohan appeared out of thin air and thrust both hands forward. "HAAAAAAA!" A wind blasted out, extinguishing the fireballs, blowing the shuriken hidden in them away, and catching Sasuke in the air, throwing him into the tree under which they'd been hiding hard enough to cause a pillar of sawdust to shoot sideways from it and rattle the ground like a thousand-person marching band all playing a bass drum.

Sakura could only look one, horrified as her two friends fought each other tooth and nail. They were really trying to kill each other! Well, maybe Gohan wasn't but Sasuke had used a tactic that was very deadly. If Gohan wasn't as strong as he was, then she would've had to bury him right here in this forest.

Somehow, that made her sad, almost to the point of sobbing hysterically. It felt like she was already mourning Gohan.

Sasuke burst from the plume, somersaulted over the other teen's head and landed in a crouch, his right hand already in his kunai pouch. He looked almost insane, eyes wide, Sharingan blazing, his free left hand clenching and unclenching.

"Why!" The messed up shinobi demanded, his voice low and rough, as if he'd been eating gravel for breakfast. "Why do you keep getting in the way!? Let me kill him, let me do it! Please, it's my greatest desire…" he trailed off into incoherent mutterings and Sakura couldn't tell if the remark was directed at Gohan or at someone only the addled Uchiha could see.

The demi-saiyan looked stunned at the lust for the kill in Sasuke's voice. Dosu was on the ground behind Gohan, looking from one to another as if he wasn't sure which Konoha-nin was going to kill him first. "Let you kill him?" Gohan repeated incredulously. "He's defenseless! You've beaten him, Sasuke, probably took away his shinobi career for the rest of his life and you still want to end it?"

The black marks on Sasuke's body flamed an angry red, spreading another inch or two. Sakura was alarmed to see them vanish into his shirt's collar.

'If that mark spreads all the way across him,' the kunoichi thought to herself, 'we'll loose Sasuke-kun forever!'

"Yessss!" Sasuke hissed, almost like a snake. Both the conscious members of Team Seven jolted when they recognized the speech pattern. It was Orochimaru's. "I want to kill him, to end his miserable life forever." Purple chakra sliced and ripped at the ground, lifting pebbles and some of the smaller rocks into the air. The marks flamed again and advanced, this time covering much more than they had before. They were starting to emerge from his sleeves and from his shorts.

Gohan's head drooped, his eyes shadowed by the fighter's long bangs. "I see," he murmured. The ground beneath his feet cracked, his cape began to float as if lifted by some divine wind. Pebbles trembled, then mimicked Sasuke and began to levitate, though they only rose to knee height before stopping. "Then there's no other way, Sasuke."

The teen's fist clenched and static electricity rippled down it. The pebbles began to rise again, like a loaf of bread in fast forward. The ground split further, going out like a spider's web before stopping.

Gohan's head snapped up, his eyes an angry and vivid jade color. "I will defeat you!" With that, he threw his head back and let a scream of power tear itself from his very feet, a blue flame blasting into being, his cape standing straight up, rippling and snapping like a flag in a hurricane. Gale force winds tore from the Saiyan's body, making ripples of dust and debris radiate outward, though Sasuke didn't seem affected by the display.

"Yessss," he hissed again, looking almost greedy. "Try whatever you want, it won't work." The purple chakra got more intense, throwing the Uchiha's body into shadow, though the black marks glowed again before beginning a creeping advance.

That sight, along with the spectacle and cacophony of Gohan's power up, spurred Sakura into action.

"No! Stop! Don't do this!" Her scream was barely audible over the racket in the clearing, but she stumbled forward and threw her arms around Gohan's neck, though she was almost blown away. The touch seemed to shock the saiyan and his light show stopped immidiatly, everything falling down with a pattering noise that was akin to rain.

"Sakura?" He seemed surprised by her actions, but she had already detached herself from him and had hugged Sasuke instead. A flame burned in Gohan's heart at that sight, but for the life of him he couldn't place it.

Might've been heartburn from the last big meal he ate.

Sasuke seemed to react as well, trembling and beginning to sweat, the purple chakra fading out of sight and the black flame design on his body receding at a much more rapid pace that it had spread before.

"Sakura?" He sounded dazed. "What just…happened?" He noted Zaku and Kin out like lights, Lee lying beaten on the ground and Sakura's bruised and beaten face. He touched his forehead with a wince. His head was pounding like a jackhammer in fast forward and he couldn't remember anything since Orochimaru. He remembered a searing pain that felt like he was being stabbed, burned and skinned alive all at once. After that was a blur, though when Sasuke reached deep into his memory, he came away with a rage that felt like he was on fire, a rush of power higher than the highest tsunami and the shadowy figure of Itachi standing before him. "I don't remember."

Gohan was looking like he was wary of Sasuke, as if he expected the raven-haired teen to suddenly lung at him or impale the pink-haired girl who was beside him, looking as if she was about to faint or cry in the next few seconds.

There was a whimpering sound as Dosu picked himself up, arms dangling like they were broken.

"So, that's it, huh? You survived it. Congratulations."

"Survived what?" Sasuke demanded. The boy's chakra surged at the leap of anger he felt and his neck seared, making his hand fly to it, clenching in a vain effort to relieve the pulsing heat. "Guh!"

"Sasuke-kun!" the kunoichi was at his side in a second, lowering him to the ground. For a moment, Sasuke had the weirdest urge to attack and kill her. The impulse was strong and took all of the Avenger's willpower to not give in.

Dosu's voice was grim, neither superior nor frightening. "You see?" he asked. "Already the curse mark is infecting you." There was a note of smugness in his voice. "Soon, you will join Orochimaru-sama and help us to burn his enemies to the ground. Starting," he proclaimed, "with Konohagakure."

The mummified genin walked to his teammates and kicked each one in the ribs, hard, making them both awaken with yelps.

"What the hell, Dosu!?" Zaku screamed in his teammate's face.

"We're leaving," the shinobi said simply. "Both of them are too strong for us. Much too strong. We'll cut our losses here and move away. First, though," he added, moving one arm with a strangled hiss, "a little reward for beating us here today." From his pouch he pulled his Earth scroll. It dropped from his limp hand and the mummy kicked it, sending it spinning end over end into Gohan's hands.

Kin was livid. "Are your bandages wrapped too tight mummy-brain!?" She shrieked. "That's our scroll!"

"To the victor go the spoils," Dosu said simply. "They beat us, now we give them their spoils and go lick our wounds." The other two shinobi growled and complained, but in the end, they stood and vaulted into the trees, disappearing in a matter of seconds.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," said a bored voice with an aristocratic drawl. The members of Team Seven turned, looking into the trees, where two strangers were standing. It was Hyuuga Neji and Tenten of Team Gai, most likely come to collect their teammate, who was just struggling to his feet, weaving and wobbling as if drunk.

Tenten was by his side within seconds while Neji remained in the tree. "Lee! You alright!?"

Lee looked at her for a moment like she was crazy, then she was helping him hobble to Neji's tree where the genius began berating him for his carelessness and his impulsive rush to help a rival team.

Tenten, though, paid her team no attention as she turned and bowed to Gohan and Sasuke. "Thank you. We saw the closing of the battle and how the two of you helped out Lee. We owe you one for it, so good luck with the rest of the exams."

Gohan bowed in return, but Sasuke snorted. "And how is that repaying us?"

Neji answered with an equally arrogant reply. "We're repaying you by letting you off the hook and not destroying your hopes of becoming Chuunin right now."

"Neji!" Tenten admonished, though the frigid genius simply shrugged.

"It's the truth and either way, they're destined for failure."

"Who died and made you boss!?" A loud and rough voice demanded.

"Naruto!"

Sure enough, it was the loud blond, who was climbing out of the hollow rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and glaring angrily at Neji.

"Hey!" He shouted, "Answer me you stuck up prick!"

It was all in vain though because Team Gai shot into the trees like the Sound shinobi before them and was gone.

The Jinchuuriki ground his teeth. "Bastard!" Then he noticed Sakura for the first time. "Huh!? Sakura-chan, what the hell happened to your face!?"

"Thanks Naruto," the kunoichi muttered sullenly. It was bad enough that Sasuke-kun and Gohan-kun had seen her like this without Naruto adding to the humiliation by calling even more attention to it.

Gohan explained to his friend and roommate as Team Seven also moved away from their campsite, knowing that their rising chakras and noise of the battle would draw other examinees like flies to a carcass.

"Wow! And you and Sasuke-bastard had to fight!?" Naruto close to shouted. "And I missed it!? Why do I miss all the good shit!?"

"Quiet!" Gohan hissed, glancing fast at Sasuke, who appeared not to have heard the blonde's outburst. "Sasuke doesn't know and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Why?"

"A whole bunch of team conflict is _not_ what we need right now, not in the middle of a place like the Forest of Death."

"I guess," Naruto said, though Gohan could tell he wanted to press the issue. "So, what now?"

Gohan frowned. "Well, we have both scrolls, so I would guess that we head straight for the Tower to end this."

"I like that idea," Sakura muttered. Her hair, trimmed at odd lengths from the ill-aimed slash, fluttered behind her. Gohan, who'd had to trim his own hair at a few points during his training in the wilderness, promised to make it look decent when they had a moment. "Sasuke-kun?"

"What?" The kunoichi flinched at his rough and gruff tone.

"H-How about heading for the tower?"

The brooding Uchiha shrugged and altered their course slightly after glancing at the sun to confirm the direction.

"Gohan-kun?" Sakura asked softly, glancing at Naruto to make sure the loud blond hadn't heard. One look told her he had, but the exuberant shinobi took the intelligent thing for once and kept his mouth shut.

"Yeah?"

"What do we do about Sasuke-kun?"

The Z fighter's eyes dropped shut for a moment as he thought about it. Then they opened again. "We have to tell Kakashi."

"Huh?" Naruto asked. "Why?" Thankfully, he kept his voice down. Gohan glanced at Sasuke to make sure that they weren't being monitored by Sharingan. They were fine.

"That seal is serious. What ever Orochimaru's planning it's not good and it goes beyond everyone in the village."

"So what do we do?" Naruto asked.

"Is Sarutobi-san going to be at the Tower?"

"Who?" Sakura asked.

"Old-man Hokage? What's he got to do with this?"

"He's the only one who would know how to deal with this. I've heard rumors that the Sannin, of which Orochimaru was one, were trained by the Third."

"Yeah, everyone knows that," said Sakura as if it was obvious.

"Really?" Naruto asked. "I didn't know that!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "Well," she amended, "almost everyone."

"We tell the Hokage about the problem and see what he has to say."

"But Sasuke-kun will be disqualified!" Sakura protested.

"This isn't about an Exam anymore. This is going to turn into a life and death situation," Gohan said roughly. "It already has, actually." He turned dark and serious eyes on Sakura. "If you care for Sasuke, you'll do this."

Sakura recoiled, then slumped. "Alright." Silence fell over the group for a few minutes. "Gohan-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Uh, do you think that…" Sakura trailed off, going red.

"What? You can tell me."

She swallowed hard. "Willyoutrainme?" It tumbled out in a rush, so fast that Gohan stared, making her go even redder.

"Sorry?"

The kunoichi took a deep breath and repeated. "Will you train me?"

Gohan looked unsure. "I don't know. I can't teach you jutsu or anything…"

"But you can help me with taijutsu, right? I need help there anyway."

"We can talk about it later." Not reassured, but not altogether discouraged, Sakura nodded.

"Thanks Gohan-kun!" She smiled brightly. If she wanted to protect her friends, her experience had shown her that she needed taijutsu, and who better than someone who could go toe-to-toe with some of the best?

* * *

OH CRAP!! Everyone, I am SO sorry. This is WAY late, though real life has smacked me fifty ways to hell in the last few weeks. One, I just haven't felt like writing, two I had IACE for CAP going on. For those who may not know, IACE stands for International Air Cadet Exchange and it's exactly what it sounds like. Teens from all over the world go to other countries for a few weeks and experience what it's like for us over in the States. Next year it reverses and US cadets go overseas. I was roped into helping so I was busy that week. Then I got sick since I've run myself into the ground all summer. Fun times right? Anyway, I'm sorry for the wait. I'm not gonna abandon this fic, not by a long shot. Also, once again, PLEASE if you do not have any _constructive_ criticism, please don't review. I think that's it, so see you next time.

**Glossary**

**Zankuuha (Air Slicing Blast): **Zaku's primary technique. It's a blast of air that can slice/pulverize pretty much anything. It uses the implants in Zaku's arms to funnel the blast, which is its major weaknes (as Shino so kindly demonstrates).


	13. Angry Prelims

Disclaimer: I own neither DBZ nor Naruto. If I didn't I wouldn't be up to my eyeballs in debt from college loans.

Last time: The Sound Trio gets a taste of just what a pissed off Sasuke and Gohan are capable of.

This time: Some stuff happens.

* * *

Gohan couldn't believe it. The last few days had been a blur to him. They'd made it to the tower with some help from Kabuto, listened to some weird saying about how a shinobi should better his or herself and then been told to relax at the tower while the rest of the exam was finished. That had been a day ago. Now the young warrior was spending his time wandering the halls of the tower looking for Kakashi or the Third, whoever would be able to tell him what to do about the Curse Seal on Sasuke.

He wasn't clad in his gi anymore. That was tattered and shredded from his battles and skirmishes in the Forest. Now he was wearing what he'd had on when he'd arrived in this dimension. It was the white T-shirt with the blue square in the middle and the blue jeans. The cape stayed, though. There was no way in hell that the warrior would take that off, not when training was more important now than ever before and his hirai-ate was tied firmly to his right bicep.

The shinobi world was a strange and dangerous place and it'd already shown the young fighter, even after only a month or two here, that brute strength wasn't everything in the world. Planning was essential too, and as much as Gohan didn't want to admit it, strategy in his style of combat came second and that could be his undoing.

"Well, we meet again," said a voice from behind the fighter, making him jump. He spun and his eyes widened.

"You!"

* * *

Kabuto was tired. He'd spent all night shepherding some feeble little genin to safety, all the while using genjutsu to steer another team of shinobi into the area so they would ambush Team Seven and force them to fight. That had been the most rewarding part of his marathon day.

Just getting to see the Sharingan was a treat, but it got better when Naruto-kun and Gohan-kun had entered the fray. Between the Kage Bunshins and blinding speed, the enemy hadn't stood a ghost of a chance, falling in mere minutes, though it would've been shorter if Sasuke hadn't been marked as he was.

What Orochimaru-sama saw in that kid was beyond the medic. Clearly Gohan-kun was superior in all categories and would make a much better host for the Snake Sannin, though the Sharingan would be the great equalizer should the Uchiha and other boy come to blows.

There was a force in Kabuto's simple quarters that had been allowed to him after his team had finished the match in the forest. The force was malevolent, leaked killing intent like a hurricane leaks rain and was clearly superior to anything Kabuto could put up against it. That was part of the reason he'd joined the missing-nin instead of spying on him like Sasori had intended.

The bespectacled shinobi also knew perfectly well that that presence could hide itself without a trace and slit his throat before Kabuto was even aware he wasn't alone.

"Would you like to see the results of my research, Orochimaru-sama?"

The wall rippled and the snake shinobi himself stepped out from behind his genjutsu.

The pale man chuckled lightly. "Please, do tell, Kabuto-kun."

Kabuto pulled out his deck of cards and swiped a chakra-infused hand over it. Immidiatly the top card sprang into the air, was plucked deftly between gloved fingers and the card tossed causally back to the other man, who caught it almost lazily.

"Ah," the Sannin purred, "the data on Sasuke-kun."

The card showed Sasuke's picture, sensei, teammates, number of missions (divided by rank of course) and the matrix Kabuto used to assess everyone he came across, but there were three new categories, all of which Sasuke had scored high in.

"Growth Potential is exceptional," Kabuto remarked without turning around, "as is Host Potential and his…let's call it Betrayal Potential."

"Not surprising," Orochimaru replied, "considering my seal and his brother's 'atrocity' against the Uchiha clan." The amber eyes searched the back of Kabuto's ponytailed head. "I assume you have the data on the other target I wanted?" That remark was said with an underlying velvety tone that told Kabuto he'd better have the data or wish to die quickly by Itachi's Tsukuyomi, which would be more merciful than anything Orochimaru would do.

Fortunately for the medic shinobi, he did indeed have the data.

"I have it, but I can't vouch for the accuracy of it," he said warningly as he flicked another card at his master. "After just one engagement, it was hard to discern just how powerful Gohan-kun is."

On the card was Gohan, with the sensei's face blanked out and a black question mark in its place, the number of missions was mostly blank as well. The matrix was odd. All the stats had a solid portion then a fainter section extending from that.

The ghostly sections were much larger than the solid parts, however the Growth and Host Potentials were high, while the Betrayal was very low.

"Not remarkably accurate," Orochimaru said casually. "Even without his bizarre transformation, Gohan-kun is much stronger than you make him out to be. This says that he's about on par with Sasuke when he could fight you, Kabuto-kun, and have a very good chance of winning, even without changing form."

"Like I said, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto answered, slightly defensive if the snake was one to judge, "I was unable to compile an accurate graph. All I had to go on was one encounter plus your descriptions."

"Do you have a theory on his abilities? Clearly they are not chakra."

"No. I believe them to be ki-based."

"I believe them to be ki-based as well, which makes Gohan-kun a powerful enemy."

"Shall I assassinate him?"

"No need. Even with his transformation, Gohan-kun is only around half my strength, if I were one to guess."

"Are you going to mark him?"

"Possibly. It all depends on what happens in these upcoming preliminary matches."

Kabuto looked mildly interested. "Do you think we'll see his transformation, Orochimaru-sama?"

The snake shrugged, flicking the cards back at his chief servant. "No, not unless he's paired with that insomniac Sand brat. I think Gohan-kun would be stronger by a wide margin, though the sheer ferocity Gaara-kun is capable of is astounding even to me." With that, the Snake Sannin sank into the ground and vanished, leaving Kabuto to marvel at just how much of a threat Son Gohan really could be.

* * *

Gohan was surprised. Of all the people he'd expected to meet in the tower, Mitarashi Anko wasn't one of them. The kunoichi was standing behind him with one hand on her hip and a grin that promised bad things.

"Uh, can I help you, Anko-san?"

Anko laughed heartily and somehow made the Z fighter sweat even more. "Yeah," she answered, draping on arm around the teen's shoulders. "C'mere, Kaka-jii and Sandaime-sama wanna meet with you." Though he went with her willingly, Gohan knew that even if he didn't, his chances of getting away were slim, since Anko's fingers were resting, feather-light, on a pressure point that would disable his legs and allow her to cart him off like a sack of potatoes.

'This lady's like Mom,' Gohan realized and he had a truly frightening mental image of his Mom and Anko standing side by side with a huge banner that said 'Crazy Lady Society' on it looming behind them. 'Good thing they'll never meet.'

Kakashi and Sarutobi were sitting in the room with the bank of security cameras in it, watching the door for signs of Anko returning with Gohan in tow. Soon enough the door was throw open hard enough to bounce off its stop and Anko smirked, pleased to no end with herself, with her prey standing beside her and looking very much like he'd either had a heart attack or seen a ghost.

Of course, if Sarutobi and Kakashi both knew Son Chichi, they would look sick too.

"Gohan-kun, welcome," Sarutobi said genially, "you look well. Please, take a seat."

Gohan did so, feeling like he was in a judge's chambers on trial for some crime, even if the atmosphere of the room didn't reciprocate it.

"I suppose you want to know why you're here?"

The warrior nodded mutely, his uneasiness giving way to curiosity.

"Well," Sarutobi continued, "why don't we let this video do the talking for me?" He gestured to Anko who walked over to the video banks and called up the video of Gohan's skirmish with Orochimaru. They watched until a burst of brilliant light filled the screen and the video cut to static.

"I assume that that is the transformation you've mentioned?" The Hokage said with no small amount of curiosity. He was called 'Professor' after all and he was genuinely interested in this turn of events.

"Yes," Gohan said, his voice tiny.

Sarutobi laughed. "Oh, come now, Gohan-kun, we aren't going to bite…" he trailed off then added. "Well, Anko-san here might, but Kakashi and I won't."

Anko simply grinned.

"Why don't you tell us what happened out there," Kakashi said, speaking for the first time.

Gohan took a deep breath and then began his story. He quit talking an hour later and when he finished, you could've heard a pin drop in the room.

"So, Sasuke has been marked with a Cursed Seal," said Sarutobi grimly. "This is a very unfortunate turn of events."

"Bastard," Anko hissed, her hand subconsciously traveling to her shoulder where her own mark lay. "What's he getting at, marking that brat like that? What's he gaining out of it?"

"The Sharingan I would imagine," said the elderly Fire Shadow, "however I cannot say for certain." He tamped tobacco into his pipe and lit it. "I'll summon Jiraiya back to the village. He's made his business to track Orochimaru over the years."

"Good idea," Kakashi remarked, "but I think we should concentrate on the main problem right now, namely Sasuke's recent acquisition."

The Hokage took a pull on his pipe and exhaled the smoke. "Yes. We'll have to remove Sasuke from the exam until we are able to seal away the mark. To leave it unchecked would be…bad, especially considering the boy's past." He looked gravely at Kakashi. "I leave it to you as his sensei to deal with him."

"Right."

"I want to see this little transformation everyone keeps banging on about," Anko interrupted roughly. "I still don't get what's so damn special about it."

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, sorry, but I generally don't transform unless I have a reason."

"Well then oblige an old man his curiosity," the Third said. "We need to figure out just what you're capable of in that state."

The warrior shrugged then closed his eyes. For a second nothing happened then there was a burst of gold light accompanied by an indescribable noise, though it was akin to a popping noise and Gohan was enveloped in a golden flame that lit his spiky now blond hair and hard emerald eyes. His cape rose and fell gently with each chirp of the aura. The Super Saiyan's eyes roved over the three astonished faces then the aura popped out of existence, leaving the room with the sense of being darker after the brilliance of the transformation.

"That's it?" Anko said, feeling let down. "Well this is anticlimactic."

"I wonder if you would give us a small demo?" Sarutobi asked.

The kunoichi snorted. "Please like that little light show has any…" Someone tapped her on the shoulder. When she looked, Anko's jaw fell open. Gohan was standing behind her, as if he'd been there the entire time. Even Kakashi was stunned, though Sarutobi had a smile on his face and something told the kunoichi that he'd been able to track the kid's movements, even if he couldn't totally see it.

There was another burst of light and Gohan in his normal form stood behind her.

"It would appear," Sarutobi said calmly as if this was normal, "That your powers receive quite a boost with that Super Saiyan ability of yours."

"Any theories on how he broke the seal?" Kakashi asked, not quite believing his eye.

The Sandaime was silent before speaking. "I would imagine that his situation is the key."

"What do you mean?" Anko asked.

"Well, maybe not so much the situation, though it certainly was integral, but perhaps the desperation and resolve Gohan-kun was feeling at the time truly shattered the seal's limits."

"That would make sense," Gohan added. "Something similar happens whenever I'm backed into a corner. Piccolo-san was the first to realize it then my Dad, but I didn't believe it until Cell destroyed Android 16."

"What happened then?" Kakashi asked.

"I ascended to Super Saiyan 2."

"So, you have a level beyond what you are capable of now?" asked the Kage.

"Yes."

"We should assume that it's been sealed away as well," Kakashi suggested, "and Gohan shouldn't try to activate it until he's away from anyone who would get hurt."

"I agree," Sarutobi said.

"Yeah, that's probably best," Gohan agreed.

"Very well, Gohan-kun, that will be all," said the Third, gesturing gently at the door. "Rest assured that we will handle Sasuke."

Gohan nodded and headed from the room, wondering what the others were going to do about the marked shinobi and how Sasuke would handle it when the word came down that he'd been disqualified.

'He's going to be livid. I have to make sure he doesn't take it out on Sakura or Naruto.'

* * *

The remaining days of the exams passed with no real incident, then not ten minutes after the Second Exam reached its conclusion, the teams that passed were called into the main room. It was a grand place with a very high ceiling and at the end of the room a massive statue of hands molded into a shinobi seal. On the walls, also high above the floor, were two balconies, opposite each other with a clear view of the arena floor below.

On a small stage of raised steps underneath the hands was the Hokage himself along with the instructors for the passing teams and a squad of plainclothes ANBU posing as miscellaneous jounin though their true purpose was to safeguard their leader.

"Congratulations on passing the Second Exam," announced Sarutobi. "We have assembled you all here in order to prepare you for the next part of the test."

"Wait!" Temari called out, not caring that she was the Kazekage's daughter and she was being rude to another Kage. "You're saying that we have to finish the exams right now?" Mutterings broke out among the assembled shinobi. Clearly they didn't want to continue until they had a chance to rest.

The Hokage smiled as he took a pull on his pipe. "This is not the final exam," he said, exhaling a cloud of fragrant tobacco smoke. "This is the preliminaries. Only a few shinobi are allowed to compete in the final exam and as you can see, too many of you have passed the second test.

"So what you're saying is," Neji said, "is that we will all have to fight a preliminary round right here and now."

The red-garbed old man nodded. "Yes, that is correct, Neji-kun. All of you here, with a few exceptions, will fight in the preliminaries to secure your place in the Third Exam."

"Wait, exceptions?" Sakura asked, puzzled. "Who's not fighting?"

Gohan winced slightly as he waited for the other shoe to drop. Sasuke was going to be pissed and he had to be ready for any sudden moves by the Uchiha.

"First, is there any among you who would wish to cease competing here? These prelims will be all out battles without restrictions on weapons, tools, jutsu, or…" here his eyes flicked over the caped saiyan, "any potential unusual abilities you may be in possession of."

"Kabuto's hand shot into the air almost without hesitation. "I can see when I'm outclassed," he said. "I hereby withdraw from these Chuunin Exams." Without so much as a backward glance, he turned on his heel and marched out of the room.

"Anyone else?" Sarutobi asked. No one else's hand went up. "Well, we do have one other disqualification." The tension in the air tightened considerably. "Due to events beyond his control and from testimony given by a trusted source, Uchiha Sasuke is disqualified, pending an assessment of his struggles in the Forest of Death."

Dead silence met the Hokage's words, though the tension leeched out of the silent room and was replaced by rage and killing intent that spilled from Sasuke like a cup running over with water. The raven haired boy rounded on the rest of Team Seven, Sharingan flaring in response to his rage.

"Who?" he demanded, his voice low and silky, something that made him seem a thousand times scarier that if he'd shouted.

"Wasn't me, Sasuke," Naruto said, backing up a step.

Sakura shook her head, looking alarmed at just how angry the Uchiha avenger was.

Gohan didn't meet the Uchiha's crimson eyes, looking away and not saying anything. Sasuke, the ninja he was, keyed right in on that.

"You," he growled. "You did it!? You bastard-"

"This isn't child's play," Gohan snapped, meeting the other teen's glare with one of his own. "This is serious and it could still kill you! What was I supposed to do? Let you go out of control like last time and hurt Sakura or Naruto!?" Gohan's hand clenched hard enough for the three others to hear his skin straining against itself. "Sorry, Sasuke. I won't just stand by."

"Damn you!" Sasuke screamed, lunging at the saiyan with his hands reaching for Gohan's throat.

The warrior reacted instantly; his arms moving as if of their own accord and knocking Sasuke's outstretched arms aside and away, leaving the genin wide open. A quick half-step brought the Z fighter inside Sasuke's defenses and his left arm flashed once, the middle finger's knuckle extended just a bit, driving into Sasuke's throat hard, once, then again in a blur of motion.

The other boy stumbled backwards, clutching at his neck and gurgling like he had something stuck in his throat.

"Take it easy, Sasuke. You won't be doing anything with your throat hit like that," Gohan stated, though his onyx eyes showed that he truly regretted his actions, even if they were forced.

Sasuke gurgled something that might've been a vehement 'damn you!' and lunged again, though before he'd even reached his opponent, he lurched and stumbled collapsing out cold in Gohan's arms.

"What'd you do?" Naruto asked, cerulean eyes shining with awe. Gohan handed the unconscious genin to Kakashi, who'd come over only after Sasuke had passed out. The masked man had known Sasuke would do something like this and had decided to let Gohan handle it.

"I hit him twice in his throat, making it hard to breath. Sasuke took a deep breath and his body couldn't handle it so it just shut down on him."

"Will he be alright?" Sakura asked, though she didn't seem as concerned as she would've at the beginning of Team Seven's formation.

"He'll be fine. All he needs is a little rest and time to recover. He should be up and about by tomorrow."

"So what now?" Naruto asked.

"Never mind that," Kakashi said briskly. "I'll take it from here, you don't need to worry. What you three need to concentrate on are your fights."

"You're not going to watch?" Naruto cried.

"I don't need to," answered the lanky Copy-Nin as he walked away with Sasuke slung on his back. "I have faith all three of you will advance to the finals."

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura asked, feeling rather numb at the prospect of fighting in front of all these people. After all, all she had was her chakra control. She had no major jutsu to speak of and didn't have anything but the slightest grasp of taijutsu.

A comforting hand on her shoulder make the kunoichi look up, turning slightly pink when she noticed it was Gohan's hand. "You'll do fine, I'm sure," he said. "Just do your best and no one can belittle you for it."

"Now that we have an even number again," interrupted the Hokage, "we will be fighting ten matches that will be decided at random with this method." He gestured to a corner of the wall, which slid aside and revealed a screen that began scrolling through all the names of everyone present.

A sickly looking jounin with heavy bags under his eyes stepped forward. "I, Gekkou Hayate, will be the referee. If I say stop, you stop. Fight until one of you dies, cannot continue, or I stop the match."

'Just like the Tenkaiichi Budoukai,' Gohan thought. 'Though we weren't allowed to kill.'

"The first match-up…" The names stopped scrolling. There was a small gasp of shock from Hinata.

"Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji. These two please stay here, the rest of you please proceed up to the balconies."

The rest of the contestants proceeded to their positions and leaned against the walls, the rail, or sat and dangled their legs in preparation to watch the match.

"You cannot win," Neji declared boldly. "You are simply the pampered and spoiled air of the Main House and today I will show just how feeble you really are."

Hinata seemed close to tears, but Gohan's respect for her rose a few notches when she didn't back down from her relative's scathing remarks. Instead she activated her kekkei genkai and sank into the basic Jyuuken stance.

Neji snorted derisively. "What use is it to defy fate?" he asked, though he slid into the same pose. "I offer you one last chance to back down without any humiliation."

Above, the saiyan warrior looked from one Byakugan wielder to the other. "Wait, I thought they were related. How come Neji's picking on her?"

Maito Gai answered, and his answer was most serious, devoid of his usual glitz and pontifications about the Springtime of Youth. "The Hyuuga are a prominent clan in Konoha, much as the Uchiha once were. However, despite their prominence, they have a very big problem."

"And that is?" asked Ino from her place beside Shikamaru a few paces down.

Gai continued, "There are two houses within the clan, the Main house of which Hinata-chan is a part, and the Branch House, from which Neji-kun hails. The two houses are often at odds since the Main House considers the Branch to be little more than slaves or servants, not worthy of equal footing and not worthy to share in the clan techniques. No one knows for sure how the Branch are kept in line, though most of Konoha believes it to be some kind of seal."

"That's awful!" Sakura cried. "It isn't Neji's fault that Hinata is from the Main House!"

"Perhaps," said the taijutsu master, "but Neji harbors a very deep grudge against the house, especially against Hinata herself."

"What do you mean?" Gohan prodded.

"When Hinata and Neji were kids, Konoha was just concluding a war with the Cloud village. The delegation from Cloud agreed to come to our village to discuss peace, but that was only a cover for their real intentions. During the deliberations, a Cloud-nin broke in to the Hyuuga mansion and kidnapped Hinata in her sleep. Hiashi, the head of the clan, killed the man, but his identity turned out to be the chief delegate. Cloud was livid and demanded that Hiashi be killed and his head delivered to them as proof."

"That wasn't the real reason, was it." Shikamaru stated bluntly.

"No. The real reason was that they wanted to take the Byakugan and implant it in their own shinobi and thus gain one of the most potent dojutsu in the world. To prevent this, Hiashi's younger twin brother and Neji's father, Hizashi, volunteered to be killed in his brother's place, thus sparing Hiashi from death and preventing the Cloud from gaining the Byakugan since when Branch members die, their Byakugan is disabled somehow."

"So Neji blames Hinata for his father's death since she was the one kidnapped." Gohan finished, to which Gai nodded.

"Yes and that is the reason I fear for Hinata-chan's life in this bout."

Sure enough, while they had been trading words above, Hinata and Neji had been trading blows and it was instantly obvious to Gohan as a martial artist who was the better fighter. Neji was ahead in all areas from form to speed to defense and offense. Hinata stood a very slim chance of winning, though she struggled valiantly, getting up and continuing even when a particularly vicious series of blows knocked her seven feet backwards.

"Why do you continue to struggle?" Neji asked, folding his arms and shaking his head. He snorted. "You aren't very talented, you shy away from combat and you seek to comfort others. All of these things are unbecoming of both a shinobi and a clan heir. Give up and quit being a shinobi, that is the only thing destiny has given you!"

"This guy's really pissing me off," Naruto growled, "with all that talk of fate and destiny and shit. What the hell does he know, huh!?"

"I'm s-sorry, Neji-nii-san," Hinata stuttered, heaving great breaths, "b-but I will not back d-down. I r-refuse to b-believe in destiny a-and," here some inner passion lit within the heiress and she drew herself up proudly, "I _will_ change the Hyuuga's ways! A-all in the name of Uncle Hizashi."

A cold fury blossomed on Neji's stoic features. "You _dare_ speak my father's name!?" he thundered, "you have no right, none at _all_, to speak his name, not after it was you who caused his death!"

"And th-that's why I'm going to change the clan, so tragedies like this never happen a-again! I-I've resolved to do this and I-I n-never go back on my word!"

"You tell 'em Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted exuberantly from the balcony. "Show this Neji prick what you can do!"

Sakura and Gohan traded glances then looked away with knowing grins. Naruto was too thick to see it, but it was obvious whom Hinata was imitating with her talk of resolve and never backing down.

"Tragedy. _Tragedy!?_" the Hyuuga prodigy shouted furiously. "Is that all my father's death is to you bastards of the Main House!? A damn _tragedy!?_"

"N-no! Neji-nii-san…"

"Don't call me that," Neji said through gritted teeth, clearly trying to hold back from killing his family member. "I'm no cousin of yours!"

That rocked Hinata back on her heels and sapped her will to fight. "Could it be, Neji-nii-san," she said softly, "that you are still mourning Uncle Hizashi's death and hating your own destiny of growing up without knowing a father's love?"

"Shut the hell _up!_" Neji shouted, darting forward and slamming a Gentle Fist attack home, only it was a full on punch, not the taps that Juuken espoused.

Hinata yelped in pain as she was thrown even farther back and landed hard.

She didn't move.

Instantly, the jounin were escorting Neji back to the balcony, admonishing him about his intent to kill his own family member and the Rookie Nine plus Gohan were all clustered around the Hyuuga heiress' sprawled form.

Gohan dropped to his knees and pressed his ear to her chest, closing his eyes to better hear a heartbeat or feel the faint passing of breath across his face.

He lurched upright, looking startled. "Medic!" He shouted, though it was unnecessary. The medic-nins were already on the way, but Gohan hadn't heard any sign of life from Hinata's body.

"Stand back!" He commanded, charging what looked to be a ki blast in his hands, though the ball of glowing energy was ringed with a faint golden aura.

"Gohan-kun wait…" Sakura's cry came too late as Gohan fired, the blast slamming into Hinata, but instead of detonating, she was outlined in the faint gold flame, which hummed softly, like a flock of hummingbirds.

Color returned to the girl's face and she began to breath shallowly, though she still didn't wake up or show any sign of doing so anytime soon.

"What did you do?" Naruto asked as Hinata was loaded onto the stretcher and borne away at a brisk pace.

"I gave her some of my ki, some of my life essence," Gohan explained. "It acted like one of those shock machines that they use at hospitals and jump started her heart again, but she's going to need serious medical attention if she's going to make it."

"Wow," Sakura said marveling, "ki can do so much!"

Gohan shook his head. "I really wish Dende were here though, he would've been able to get her up on her feet in just a few seconds."

Hayate stepped up to them, coughing slightly. "Ahem," he said clearing his throat. "If you would all return to the balcony, it's time for the next match."

Sure enough, the board showed the names of the next two fighters.

"Rock Lee vs. Akimichi Chouji."

The two took their places below and the match began. It was a complete mismatch. Lee was slender, fast and fit and Chouji was none of those things, though his peculiar clan jutsu took full advantage of that as he transformed into a huge rolling ball and tried to crush Lee.

Lee seemed simply content to dodge and throw out advice on how to fight more efficiently, though things really heated up when he called Chouji fat and the boy had covered himself in kunai, becoming a spiked speeding ball instead of just a ball.

The other boy was still ahead by a wide margin, though the extra traction given to Chouji by his kunai meant that the gangly taijutsu protégé had to do more dodging and less simply running away.

In the end, Lee wore Chouji down and made the Akimichi kid so tired that he couldn't stand, which meant he couldn't continue.

"Winner, Rock Lee," Hayate announced after a coughing fit.

"You did well, my friend!" Lee proclaimed with a gleaming grin as he scooped up the other and helped him back to the balcony. "With some more training, you could be a truly beautiful shinobi! When we've both trained some more, we shall fight again!"

Chouji smiled weakly, though he was looking kind of put off by the spandex-clad shinobi's intense manner. "Uh, sure," he said slowly, not knowing what else to do. "We'll see about it!"

"Yosh!" Lee shouted happily. "So to prepare, I shall kick a boulder six hundred times with both legs and if I cannot, then I will run one hundred laps around Konoha on my hands!"

"And if my Lee cannot do that," Gai cried in answer, "then I, Maito Gai, shall…" Everyone else on the balcony tuned out the 'Beautiful Green Beasts of Konoha' as they planned their intense (and rather ridiculous) training regimen.

"The third match!" Gekkou announced, as the screen stopped on two names. "Dosu vs. Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura went pale as she looked at the mummified Oto nin across the room on the opposing balcony. Her gaze was met by a glare that promised very bad things.

"I should just give up," she whispered softly to herself. "He'll tear me apart! After all, he probably wants revenge for what Sasuke did to him in the forest!"

She wasn't aware of her feet carrying her to the stairs, or of everyone's calls of encouragement. What she did notice though, was Gohan stopping her at the top step.

"G-Gohan-kun?" She asked. "What is it?"

"Nervous?" He asked.

"Yeah."

The warrior laughed. "Don't worry. I'll have to tell you about my first fight. Anyway, I came to offer some advice."

"What is it?" She asked, glad for any tidbit that might help her survive this battle.

He leaned in close, making Sakura color by his closeness, and whispered something in her ear that made her green eyes go wide. It was so obvious and it would certainly help her.

"Wow, that should work!"

"I'd think so. There's one other thing."

"Huh?"

"Think of this as your first lesson."

"Oh! Does that mean…"

"Yeah. It would help the team out a lot if I helped you to get stronger, right? Now, here's my advice. Feel, don't think. Use your instincts. Let your body move for you."

"But I'm no good at taijutsu…" The kunoichi began to protest, but the black-haired warrior shook his head, cutting her off.

"But you still know it and you've had to practice it until it's muscle memory, right?"

"Yeah but it's still the basics…"

"You'd be surprised what the basics can do," Gohan said, knowing that even the littlest bit of knowledge could go a long way. "Your body knows the motions, the blocks, the punches, the kicks. All you have to do is let your body do the moving for you. And when you get into the finals, I'll teach you some more advanced stuff." He patted her on the shoulder in reassurance and moved out of her way.

"Finally," Dosu grumbled as he moved one of his shattered arms out of its sling. It had to have hurt him tremendously to do it, but he wasn't about to loose to this pampered little wisp of a girl. "Saying good-bye to your boyfriend?"

"He's my friend," Sakura corrected irritably, "and he was giving me advice on how to pound your ass into the ground!"

If anyone was surprised at the change in Sakura's language, they didn't show it.

"Ready…begin." Said the proctor as he moved back a few paces.

Sakura went into a basic stance and waited, trying to empty her mind so as to be able to react at the drop of a hat. The arm Dosu had chosen to fight with was the one without the bracer. Maybe that other arm hurt too much or maybe it was damaged, but either way, the kunoichi wasn't complaining. It would be so much easier to beat him if he didn't use it.

Dosu lunged, his arm flying at her face. Sakura was caught off guard at the sudden motion and took a glancing blow as she moved out of the way. She stumbled backwards, trying to ignore the throbbing in her head and concentrate.

"Nice try, girly!"

The mummy led off again with a quick punch that was much slower, allowing Sakura to block it. She smiled to herself.

'See?' she told herself. 'I can do this!'

Dosu noticed the expression. "Don't get cocky, bitch!" He spun on his heel, following up his earlier attack and driving his other heel into her temple. Sakura yelped at the pain and was thrown to the ground, feeling as if her head was splitting from where she'd been hit. Her vision returned just in time to catch Dosu's heel coming at her again in an axe kick that would've probably knocked her out, but she managed to roll away.

Sadly, Dosu was still close enough to kick her in the back and send her bouncing away. The kunoichi staggered upright again and took up her stance.

"Hm," remarked the mummy. "Persistent little girl aren't you. Give up. You couldn't beat me in the forest, not without your cheap little traps and without them you stand not a ghost of a chance."

"That was three on one!" Sakura ground out. "Now it's a little more fair and I'm not going to lose to you!"

"Fine, but don't blame me when you die or cry. I don't hold back," he lifted his other arm out of its sling and let it hang, "not even against women."

Sakura snorted. "Who said I wanted you to hold back? I'm a shinobi and I'm not going to lose here! Not after we've come so far."

"Please. You've ridden on the back of your teammates, men who are infinitely more gifted than you, to get here. Your just riding on their coattails and you know it."

"I do know it," Sakura admitted, then a steely determination set itself in her eyes. "And that's why I'm going to get better, so I don't _have_ to rely on them to save me!"

Dosu looked at his bracer. "But the real question is," he said slowly, "how are you going to get better when your dead!?" With that he sprinted at her as fast as he could, confident that she wouldn't be able to react in time and judging from the look she had, he was right.

'I can't track it,' Sakura realized, terrified. 'How am I supposed to dodge something I can't see!?' Then she remembered Gohan's words as she pushed her hands to her head and shook it to clear it out. 'My body knows what to do,' the pink-haired kunoichi repeated. 'All I have to do is…_react_!'

Her right arm snapped up and across her body as if she was wiping a window in great circles, her left fist, fingers aimed at the ceiling, going into chamber by her left hip. She was rewarded with the satisfying shock of a solid connection as she intercepted Dosu's coming attack and pushed it off to her right. Almost in the same instant, her left arm snapped forward, her fist rolling right side up, her left hip snapping forward, putting her full weight behind the blow.

Her attack connected full on with Dosu's face, shattering his nose and making him stagger backwards, clutching at the section of bandages that was rapidly turning red as blood gushed from his wound.

Sakura felt oddly detached as her feet carried her forward, her left hand falling to Dosu's shoulder and jerking him forward and down as her left knee came from behind Sakura's body and bashed full force into Dosu's face once then again as her leg returned to its place behind her then snapped forward again.

"You bitch," Dosu managed to get out as he staggered back from the twin knees to the head. His vision was filled with pink hair and unfocused green eyes before he was hit in the jaw, snapping his head back. Something swept his foot from underneath him and Dosu went down, his head bouncing off hard concrete of the floor and knocking him out cold.

Sakura blinked and looked at the limp form in front of her, almost taking a step back in surprise. She had no clear memory of the past few seconds. All she remembered was getting the ear plugs Gohan had told her to use into her ears as a precaution, then there was nothing but a haze of rather satisfying impacts and flying limbs then she was looking at Dosu out cold at her feet, Hayate proclaiming her the winner.

She pulled out the earplugs and rolled the small bits of cotton in her hand. During the match, she'd slipped them into her hands, though she had no memory of exactly when, and then pretended to clutch her head and slipped them in. It'd all been in vain, perhaps, but better to be safe than sorry.

"Way to go, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted.

"You showed him!" Ino cried, secretly wondering just how Sakura had moved the way she did. During the entire sequence, it seemed as if she were floating and letting her body to the work for her.

Sakura really did feel like floating on the way back up the stairs and she grinned happily when she Gohan met her that the top. "Gohan-kun…" she stopped, not knowing what words to use to tell how grateful she was to him for his tip.

"Nicely done. Now imagine what you can do with a little training," he said simply, something in his eyes telling her that she didn't need to tell him. He already knew.

Shivers ran down Sakura's spine at the mere thought. "That's…exciting."

"Fourth match! Zaku vs. Inuzuka Kiba!"

"Yahoo! Here we go, Akamaru! Time to show everyone what we've got!" The small dog perched on Kiba's head yipped happily as his master and best friend vaulted over the railing and landed heavily before running over to Hayate and tapping his foot impatiently, waiting on Zaku.

Zaku knew that he was making the dog user mad, so the Oto-nin took his good sweet time in making his way over.

"Che, 'bout time!" Kiba snarled when Zaku finally arrived.

"Why should I hurry?" asked Zaku. "I was doing you a favor, letting you savor your time in the spotlight before I crush you and your little Chihuahua."

Akamaru went into a barking frenzy at the shinobi's insult, his high-pitched yelps and barks not at all intimidating.

"Now you've gone and done it," Kiba said. "Most of the time, Akamaru doesn't like to fight, but when he really wants to tear it up, he can be as ferocious as a bull mastiff, and you my friend, have just royally pissed him off." The white dog yipped in agreement.

"Whatever. I'm gonna turn you and your Chihuahua into dog food."

Hayate knew that he didn't need to say begin and simply stepped out of the way. Immidiatly, Kiba pulled out two small back pills and flicked one to Akamaru and downed the other one himself. Their chakra spiked through the roof and Akamaru's white fur turned a bloody crimson as Kiba himself took on a more feral look.

"Well," Zaku said lazily. "This might actually be interesting."

Kiba leaned over on to all fours and Akamaru jumped up on his back.

"Ninpou! Juujuin no Jutsu!"

There was a burst of smoke and now two feral-looking Kibas were crouching in front of Zaku.

"Oh? Looks like you might actually be a challenge."

"Buddy, we're gonna be a lot more than that." One of the Kibas growled before they split and rushed the Oto-nin from two different directions. "We're gonna put you in the hospital!"

Zaku calmly raised his hands and pointed one at each Kiba. "Really? Well, I'm gonna put you in a body bag. Zankuuha!"

The twin Kibas forms were lost amid the onrushing of air, dust and other detritus that was picked up by the passing of the hurricane-force winds. When the spectacle subsided, there two furrows ripped in the tiled floor with no sign of Kiba or Akamaru, as a corpse or otherwise, at the end of them.

"Keh, missed me!" taunted a voice. Zaku spun and saw that both Kibas were hanging by their nails from the walls, several feet above the balconies. "Now it's our turn! Gatsuuga!"

They dropped and began spinning, becoming a pair of horizontal tornadoes that tore up the floor like a scythe through weeds. Zaku leapt aside, then twisted and managed to avoid both whizzing blurs. They quit spinning, skidded, then launched into another spin, coming at Zaku from both front and behind.

"Zankuuha!"

Another explosion of wind and both tornadoes were blown off course to collide together with a grating noise like a steel drill trying to go through a steel wall. The madly spinning twisters resolved into Kiba and Akamaru, who fell in a heap, Akamaru returning to his normal form in a hissing puff.

"Akamaru!" Kiba called, wiping a line of blood from his cheek. Akamaru's claws had grazed him when they'd hit. "Hey!" The little puppy stirred, but fell back down with a whimper and didn't move. "Damn you," the Inuzuka snarled. "I'm gonna make you regret that."

Zaku outright laughed. "Somehow I doubt that. You and your puppy can't beat me."

"Well see about that," Kiba snarled, hands dipping into his pouches for weapons. He leapt into the air and spun. "Gatsuuga!" Kunai and shuriken spun from the twister, moving many times faster from the spinning. Zaku sprinted away from the oncoming attack, his eyes narrowing when he noticed the weapons digging into the hard floor with puffs of smoke. They'd been thrown so hard that they were penetrating the hard material with almost no effort, the kunai embedding themselves up to their rings and the shuriken disappearing entirely.

Kiba's weapons assault ceased and he dove on the Oto-nin, a solitary gray tornado that, while not as dangerous as two, would still tear Zaku a new one if it happened to hit.

"Come on, kid," Zaku called with a scathing laugh. "If you wanna avenge your little Chihuahua, you'll have to do better than that!"

Kiba quit spinning and sprinted on all fours at Zaku, who got ready to attack.

"Oh, a head-on attack? Keh, you really are stupid!" There was a third blast of wind as Zaku cut loose again, thrusting one hand forward and unleashing the hurricane in his hand. "Take that!" Kiba took the full force head on, then promptly exploded into smoke, the log that replaced him shattering in the lashing winds. "What!?"

"Gatsuuga!"

The tornado spun from Zaku's right side, but the shinobi turned and thrust both hands forward. "Zankuukyokuha!" It wasn't so much of a blast of air as it was an explosion. Kiba, spinning as fast and as hard as he was, wasn't able to see and avoid it in time and truly took the full force of the attack.

He was instantly blown out of his spin and thrown backwards, the wind tearing his parka to shreds and sending small plumes of blood flying from the numerous lacerations that opened up on his skin from the grit that was contained in the attack.

Kiba flew through the air, bounce twice off the ground, then tumbled head over heels into the wall just beside the massive hands, a huge explosion forming when his body finally hit.

"That's enough!" Hayate said stepping in. "Anymore would be pointless."

"No!" Kiba called, staggering from the crater in the wall. "I…can…still…f-fight!" That sapped the last of his will and he collapsed in a heap, out cold.

"Winner, Zaku!"

There were no cheers or calls of congradulations. Zaku didn't seem to care as he ascended the steps to his team, with the medics carting off Akamaru and Kiba, the boy going to the hospital wing and Akamaru likely going to the veterinary clinic that the Inuzuka clan ran.

The names began their scroll again and this time, Gaara's teal eyes flickered over the sign.

"Hurry up," he snarled, as if he could intimidate the selection into going faster. "Hurry up so that I can kill the boy with the black hair!"

Temari, Kankuro and Baki traded glances then took a few tentative steps away from the volatile Jinchuuriki. It stopped on Akado Yoroi vs. Aburame Shino. Gaara's fury was almost palpable but then it faded just as quickly as it had arisen, as if it was a wraith that was there on minute then gone the next, it's passing heralding another death.

Below, the two shinobi were ready willing and able to fight each other.

"The Aburame, a clan noted for their Hijutsu that involve draining the opponent of all his chakra."

"What's it to you?" asked Shino lightly. His voice was slightly raspy as if he didn't use it much and his sunglasses along with his jacket's high collar gave away nothing.

Yoroi's hand glowed a pale blue and Shino and his kikaichu felt a tug on their chakra coils, as if the other genin's technique was trying to draw in the bug-user's energy.

"You see? I have a chakra absorption technique too. Shall we see which one is the stronger?"

A black cloud boiled out from Shino's pockets and from the high collar of his jacket. The stoic genin had released his bugs and they swarmed all around and on him with an audible clicking of mandibles and many-jointed legs.

"Yes," the Aburame answered with no change in tone. "Let's see which is the better."

* * *

Damn! Long chapter! Oh well, I enjoyed writing it. Still, it's been quite the blitz. I updated The Disappearance not four days ago and now I'm already done with Gohan's Dilemma. Gotta be some kind of personal record. Oh well. Sorry if the fights were rushed, but I wanted to get the minor battles out of the way. Including Yoroi and Shino's match, there're only five more fights left then we get to Gohan's duel and that will start next chapter, no ifs ands or buts about it. SO! I will see you next chapter and we will see just who Gohan will get to fight. And yes it will be another knock 'em down, drag 'em out match like what happened with Orochimaru and yes it will be against Gaara. Many of you have probably guessed at that already, so there's no point in being so mysterious about it when you might as well put a neon/LED billboard over my head announcing it.

**Glossary**

**Zankuuha and Zankuukyokuha (Air Slicing Blast and Ultimate Air Slicing Blast respectively): **Zaku's seemingly one and only technique, it's a massive blast of air and sound that shatters pretty much anything. It comes in two variations, big and bigger. The second one is also a handful to type and damn near impossible to say...for me anyway.

**Gatsuuga (Twin Piercing Fang (Or somehting like that)):** Kiba's one of two techniques. He and Akamaru become two tornadoes from Hell and drill out the enemy. I guess you could call it a Rasengan on steriods. Much more effective if there are two.

**Jujuin no Jutsu (Man/Beast Clone Jutsu): **Kiba's other technique, used as a set up to the Gatsuuga. Kiba and Akamaru both down soldier pills and become two clones of Kiba that can attack as they are or go for the Gatsuuga.

**Juuken/Jyuuken (Gentle Fist Style): **The Hyuuga clan's taijutsu style that uses the Byakugan to see the inside of a person then proceeds to attack the innards directly. This style would give even Gohan trouble since even he cannot train his insides.

**Kikaichuu (Destruction Bugs): **Bugs that live in a symbiotic relationship with the Aburame. The bugs feed on chakra which is enough to disable even the strongest of opponents since without chakra, they would pass out.


	14. Shocking Prelims

Disclaimer: I own nothing except whatever OC's appear.

Last time: The prelims begin.

This time: The prelims.

* * *

"You see? I have a chakra absorption technique too. Shall we see which one is the stronger?"

A black cloud boiled out from Shino's pockets and from the high collar of his jacket. The stoic genin had released his bugs and they swarmed all around and on him with an audible clicking of mandibles and many-jointed legs.

"Yes," the Aburame answered with no change in tone. "Let's see which is the better."

* * *

The black cloud of bugs that roiled around Shino dove at Yoroi with a buzzing noise as the beetles deployed their wings and sped at the target, whom their master said was their next meal.

Yoroi leapt back and out of the way, hurling a pair of kunai at Shino, but a black cloud rose in front of him and the kunai were lost from view. A tendril extended from the wall of black and arched gently for the bug user, who held up a had to meet it and came away with the kunai that had been gently deposited into his palm.

"Impossible!" Yoroi shouted. "Those knives should've sliced those bugs to pieces!"

"You did," Shino responded, as he looked the throwing weapons over without seeming to care, "but don't underestimate a colony's strengths."

As if to emphasize the point and to take revenge for their fallen comrades, the bugs that had been hounding Yoroi rose up in an angry swarm that blotted out even the hard lights that hung high above the arena floor.

"What do you mean?" The other shinobi demanded as he bounced from place to place as he avoided the swarm that was trying to squash him.

"An ant is capable of lifting something many times its own weight," Shino answered. "When this bug works as a colony, they can cut a swath hundreds of feet in width through the densest of jungles. A locust swarm can decimate an entire civilization by eating all that year's crops, and Kikaichu, with their master's guidance, are capable of astounding things. Don't underestimate the insect world."

Yoroi grunted as he narrowly avoided another tendril of bugs and leapt up onto of the giant statute that was the centerpiece for the arena. Instantly, the hands began to turn black as the bugs landed on it and began to swarm up it, leaving Yoroi with no time to escape.

'Damn, nowhere to run now,' the shinobi noted. Then he saw that Shino had no bugs around him. He grinned beneath the cloth that hid the bottom half of his face. 'Good, now he's wide open for attack!' The ninja poured charka into his feet, using more than necessary since he expected to get it all back, then lunged at Shino, shooting off the hands right as it was totally enveloped in a black coating.

Shino started as Yoroi appeared right in front of him.

"Gotcha, brat!" Yoroi shouted as his glowing hand latched onto the stoic shinobi's coat. "Now your chakra's mine!"

All color bled from Shino then he burst into a cloud of bugs that began to swarm up Yoroi's arm.

The masked nin turned pale. "What!? NO! Get off! Get off! GET OFF!" He shouted, his arm flapping with each word, but no matter how hard he tried, they just wouldn't get off and Yoroi's arm began to prickle as the kikaichu bit him and began to drain his chakra. The shinobi's cries persisted until the swarm that was behind him rolled over him and he was lost amid a pile of clicking mandibles and legs.

Shino stepped out from the shadows of the balcony under which he'd hid during the whole episode. Even before Yoroi had lunged, he'd made a clone from the bugs and used Kawarimi to switch with it.

"It looks like I'm the one with the better techniques," Shino stated as the bugs left their target and swarmed back to their master. Yoroi was in bad shape, just laying there with small moaning noises, his skin red and raw from where the thousands of bugs had bitten him.

"Winner," Hayate said with a cough, "Aburame Shino."

Again no cheers from the crowd. In fact, even some of the veteran shinobi looked rather unnerved with the Aburame's methods. If nothing else, Shino knew, his bugs were the ultimate psychological weapon, since many people didn't like bugs in general and to face a swarm of them with the sole purpose of killing you or eating your chakra, well, it could be a rather unnerving experience.

The names rolled and stopped on Kankuro and Yoroi's teammate.

The match was short and brutal. The Konoha shinobi had tried to use his bloodline, which allowed him to contort like rubber, and strangle Kankuro, but the Suna nin had turned out to be a puppet that did the same to the Konoha nin while Kankuro emerged unharmed from the bandage-wrapped package on the puppet's back.

"That looked painful," Gohan muttered to himself as the unconscious shinobi was carted off and Kankuro resumed his place with his sister and brother.

The names came up with Shikamaru versus Kin.

It was another short match.

Kin used her powers with Genjutsu to try and make Shikamaru see many illusions of her. However, it was short lived as Shika used his Kage Mane no Jutsu to follow the string of the senbon that was the source of the genjutsu all the way back to Kin and take control of her shadow. After that, he'd forced her to throw shuriken at him while he did the same to her.

Of course, the Nara had dodged and Kin had looked relieved, since Shika's shadow forced her to follow along. That didn't last when she rammed headlong into the wall and was out cold.

The anticipation in the air following the conclusion of Kin and Shika's match was almost visible. It was down to six people, Gaara, Gohan, Naruto, Tenten, Temari and Ino.

"Come on," Naruto begged, his hands pressed together like he was praying, begging the board to come up with his name. "Please be me…Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease_please!_"

The names stopped.

Ino vs. Temari.

Naruto groaned loudly as he sat down with a pout. "Dammit," he moaned. "It's never going to get to me!"

"Just wait Naruto," Gohan said with a light laugh at his roommate's behavior. "You'll get your turn eventually."

"Maybe when Hell freezes over," the blond returned as they watched Ino and Temari square off. It was a mismatch, just one of many in the prelims, but still, even Naruto could see that Ino was totally outclassed.

Ino was more like Sakura, someone who didn't have a whole lot of jutsu in her arsenal and had little to no knowledge of taijutsu.

Temari on the other hand, had a head like Shika's and power that was probably on par with a few of the lower ranked jounin, much less a chuunin, so it was clear that the winner was more than likely a foregone conclusion.

Still, Ino put up a good fight, trying valiantly to trap Temari with her mind control but Temari kept her moving with wind attack after wind attack from long range.

The Suna kunoichi's fan opened wide, showing three purple circles painted onto the folded materiel in the middle.

"Three moons," Temari stated, "when you see three moons, you lose."

"Oh yeah and how're you going to…" Ino never got to finish as she was blow off her feet and slammed hard into the wall, her head cracking against the hard material and knocking her out.

Shika looked odd as medics scooped up Ino's limp form and carted her off. It almost looked as if the Nara was wrestling with anger at Temari and concern for Ino.

"Ino…" He murmured softly to himself as his friend and teammate was carried away.

"Now all that's left is me, Gohan, that sand guy and the chick from Neji's team," Naruto muttered. He grinned as he looked back at his roommate. "Hey, Gohan! Wouldn't it be cool if we got to fight each other!?"

Gohan laughed. "It would be a pretty interesting fight, Naruto," he answered. "I wouldn't mind fighting you actually."

Sakura looked from one boy to the other then sighed exasperated. Still, she knew that boys would be boys and that in this line of business, more often than not, affections between men came out as blows.

"Me and Gohan, me and Gohan, me and Gohan," Naruto chanted over and over again as the names bounced between his, Gohan's and Gaara's and Tenten's.

"Uzumaki Naruto vs. Tenten!" Hayate announced.

"I'm up?" Naruto asked, not daring to believe it. "I'm up! Yahoo! Hell yeah, time to show you guys what I can do!" He vaulted over the railing and was beside Hayate within seconds.

Tenten smiled at his exuberance, taking her time and walking sedately over, clearly in no real hurry.

"So?" asked a new voice. Kakashi appeared in a puff. "What'd I miss?"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed. "How's…"

"Fine. The seal's been dealt with, but we're keeping an eye on him just to make sure." Both Gohan and Sakura looked relieved at the news. "So, which match is this?"

"Second to last," Gohan told him. "It's Naruto and Tenten, then me and the sand guy with the gourd on his back."

"You're going against Sabaku no Gaara?" Kakashi asked, looking rather startled.

"Yeah, why?"

The copy nin looked like he was struggling with some inner conflict then it passed and he shrugged. "No reason. Just be careful."

"Sure."

Naruto and Tenten were fairly evenly matched. Tenten's long-range attacks held Naruto off, but his tenacity and drive to win were unmatched.

"Naruto, nothing personal," Tenten said, "but just give up! You can't win if you can't hit me."

"Che, says you!" Naruto shouted as he hurled a volley of shuriken. Tenten calculated the trajectories quickly then hurled six senbon, the first three speeding through the volley and slamming into Naruto's chest in a way that would KO him and the next three knocking the shuriken out of the air with a tiny clinking noise.

Naruto lurched as the needles struck him and he fell to one knee, trying desperately to stay awake.

"It's no use, Naruto," Tenten told him. "I hit a series of pressure points that will knock you out in no time. Admit it. You've lost."

"I'll…never…ever…lose!" Naruto grunted standing up and visibly shocking Tenten. "_EVER_!" He yanked out the senbon and felt his head clear.

The blonde's hands came together. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The arena floor was filled with copies of Naruto. There were close to thirty of them. With a yell that would frighten an army, they charged forward, mobbing Tenten.

She reached for her scroll and uncoiled it, but something slammed her from behind and knocked it from her hands and into the hands of a clone. A kunai descended from high up and pressed against her throat.

"Gotcha Tenten-chan!" Naruto said brightly as he held the knife against her.

Tenten grinned. "Maybe," she answered, grabbing his wrist and tugging him off balance, a kunai slipping into her hand from her sandal as her hand passed across it, "but I've got you!" The kunai pressed against Naruto's sternum. "Give up. You would've died if this were a real fight."

Naruto grinned and exploded into smoke.

"What!?"

Then she was mobbed again. When the blur of orange stopped moving, Tenten was being crushed by all the clones sitting on top of her.

She struggled as hard as she could, but couldn't dislodge the mass of blondes on top of her.

Hayate looked amused. "Since it looks like Tenten can no longer continue, Uzumaki Naruto is the winner."

"What!?" Tenten protested. "But he's sitting on me! This isn't fair!"

"Can you continue?" Asked the sickly proctor.

The kunoichi's mouth opened, then closed. "No." There was a poof as the Narutos vanished and the blond stood grinning.

"Sorry, Tenten-chan." He said. "It just kinda happened."

Tenten shook her head, but she smiled. "It's alright, Naruto. I underestimated you. Not many people could win by sitting on their opponent." She grinned then. "Come and find me sometime and we'll have a rematch." She turned to go back to the balcony. "and next time, I won't lose."

Naruto laughed and followed after her.

Gaara's face gave away nothing as the Suna Jinchuuriki appeared in a swirl of sand on the arena floor, looking up at Gohan with cold eyes that made the saiyan want to shiver. They reminded him of Vegeta's eyes before the saiyan prince calmed down, and of his uncle Raditz's eyes. Eyes full of range, hate and a desire to kill.

It gave the warrior pause, and that shocked him. Of all the fights in this world, only Orochimaru had given him any reason to be afraid, but there was something about Gaara that was unnerving him and it wasn't something nice.

'What is he?' Gohan asked himself as he vaulted over the rail himself and landed with only the whispering of his cape to herald the arrival.

The cork on the mouth of Gaara's gourd wriggled, as if something was trying to escape, then shot off like a bullet.

It whizzed by Gohan's face, missing by inches as the warrior's face went from openly speculating to deadly serious in the time it took to blink, the wind of passage pulling his mop toward it.

There was a puff against the wall at the other end of the arena as the speeding object hit and stuck.

"What was that!?" Sakura asked, shocked at the sudden opening.

Kakashi sounded tense as if he feared for Gohan's safety. "Look at Gohan's feet."

She did and there were marks in the fine dust that sat on the floor, just like some kind of high school gym. "Wait! Did…"

"Yeah. That cork would've hit him if Gohan hadn't moved."

"And he did it fast enough for us to not see it?"

"I caught it, but it was a blur," the jounin sounded like he was musing to himself. "With the seal gone, it's as if he's gotten faster than he was before."

"Wait, what do you mean 'seal'?" Naruto asked his teacher.

"Just watch," Kakashi answered.

Sand spilled from Gaara's gourd and coiled around him like some kind of snake.

Gohan dropped into a stance and got ready to go.

"Begin!"

Gohan launched himself backwards right as Gaara's sand lunged forward.

"Guh!" Gohan grunted as his hands flashed and ki blasts flew from his palms, slamming into the racing grains with a multitude of explosions that shook the stadium.

His foot touched the ground and he vaulted sideways, trying to get an angle on the Suna boy. Gohan's eyes flicked as he saw his chance and launched a blast at his opponent, who was standing there with his arms crossed.

The blast arced slightly and slammed on target, erupting in an explosion that obscured Gaara from view. The shaft of sand that Gaara had thrown earlier suddenly split, the new section speeding at the Saiyan warrior, who grunted again as he skidded to a stop and launched himself into the sky, the sand slamming to the concrete just behind him.

Gohan shot towards the ceiling then bounced off one of the massive supports that held up the roof and shot another few blasts into the smoke cloud that had yet to clear.

Yellow light and new explosions blossomed like some kind of psychedelic light show and Gohan stopped moving, floating stationary as he waited to see if he'd done any type of damage.

The smoke cleared and revealed Gaara.

Unharmed.

"Impossible!" Gohan shouted, noting the sand that seemed to be acting like a shield and protecting the genin. The top of the shield roiled and writhed, then another pillar of sand flew at him.

Gohan fazed out, reappearing on the floor and flying at Gaara, disappearing and reappearing as he dodged the small needles of sand that speared at him from the pillar that was still hanging in the air.

"Take this!" the saiyan shouted as he drew back and threw a punch.

Sand sprang up to protect Gaara without him even moving and Gohan's fist met it with a thud that echoed across the room and made the very floor shake. Blood dripped from Gohan's knuckles, torn open by the abrasive material. His fist had been stopped cold. It was more like punching steel than sand.

"How?" Sakura asked.

"The sand became hard like concrete, but it's still soft enough that the impact is dissipated. Gohan's in trouble," Kakashi told her.

A spike shot forward from the sand shield.

"Shit!"

Gohan threw himself back, going parallel to the ground, flinching when the spike grazed his cheek, opening a small cut. His hands touched the ground and he sprang once, twice, three times off of them, getting distance.

Sand came at him as he hung inverted on the third spring.

The warrior's hand flashed and a ki blast shattered the pillar, which writhed and contorted like a headless snake before recovering and shooting at him again. By now, Gohan was on his feet again and he threw another punch, the blow connecting and the sand exploding as effectively as if he'd used ki.

The grains rained down as Gohan again shot at the stoic shinobi, who had yet to even move or turn to look at what his opponent was doing. Sand sprang up in anticipation of the attack and Gohan smirked, launching into the air again, putting his palms together, fingers spread.

A ki ball began to shine.

"HAAAAA!"

A pillar of light shot earthward, detonating when it reached Gaara.

The smoke cleared and revealed the umbrella of sand that covered the genin's head.

"Dammit."

He touched down in front of the redheaded Jinchuuriki, who was looking rather annoyed.

"Is that all?" he rasped, his finger tapping lightly on his bicep. Gaara's fury seemed to build by the second the more he looked at Gohan. "Is that all you have!?"

A huge tidal wave of sand rose from Gaara and shot at Gohan like a runaway train.

"Oh man!" Gohan said nervously before running in the opposite direction, trying to get airborne and leaping and ducking under the tendrils that came from the wave and tried to snare him. He hit the wall and used his momentum to run straight up it. Gohan pushed off and threw another pair of blasts at Gaara, whose sand again rose up and protected him.

"You are nothing but a bug!" Gaara fumed as the smoke cleared and revealed a sand wall that was slowly dissolving. "A bug!" A sand pillar took a swipe at Gohan, who ducked under it, fazed out, and reappeared on top of the statue of the hands.

"Looks like I have to get serious!" He said, reaching up and clutching at his cape. With a deft tug, the garment slipped off and Gohan held it out to the side then let it go.

'Stupid,' Temari thought. 'As if that thing can possibly…'

The cape hit and the floor exploded.

Everyone but Team Seven gaped.

"Go Gohan! Kick his ass!" Naruto shouted. The other boy gave him a thumbs up then vanished.

Gaara blinked as his sand shield sprang up behind him then exploded. He turned towards the disturbance.

It happened again.

And again.

Again

Again.

Picking up speed until the shield wasn't able to form without exploding, Gohan only a blur as he hit the shield and moved on, slowly overwhelming the defenses.

A fist filled Gaara's vision before he was blasted across the arena and slammed into the hand statue, which held up briefly then crumbled in a cloud. Gohan straightened up and watched it expand.

"Come out!" He called. "I can sense your bloodlust. I know you're not dead!"

A shape became to come out, slowly walking forward until it was visible.

Gaara seemed unharmed, his gourd smashed and sticking out behind him…then Gohan realized that the gourd was made of sand too and it had been used to cushion the blow. The genin's face was crumbling as his skin just seemed to fall off, but it appeared that Gaara was using the sand as a type of armor and it had protected him from the blow and he was grinned, an insane grin that chilled Gohan to the bone.

"Finally! FINALLY!" Gaara screamed, his sanity leeching away before everyone's eyes. The Suna-nins were shrinking back. They knew that look. Gaara was giving into the Shukaku. "Finally I can kill you and validate my existence!"

"Kill me to validate yourself?" Gohan asked as he watched the sand gather again, forming that protective second skin on the Suna boy, who had calmed down somewhat, but his eyes were still shining with that same light to kill.

Gaara thrust one arm forward.

"Die!"

Sand shot at Gohan like a bullet, much faster than before.

'Fast!' Gohan thought as he flung his body out of the way, the sand whizzing past, just barely catching him and tearing a gash in his shirt's stomach. 'Much faster!'

A ki blast flew in retaliation, but the sand shield formed, again much faster than before and the attack detonated harmlessly. Gohan shot forward, becoming nothing but a blur then there was a clap like thunder as he broke the sound barrier and slammed his fist into the shield, shattering like an armor piercing round and drilling right into Gaara's gut, shattering the sand there as well and doubling him over.

A kick snapped forward and caught the redhead in the chin, lifting him into the air.

The sand was beginning to swirl around Gohan's feet and he knew he had to act right then. He grabbed the linen sash and tugged Gaara toward him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked before unloading into the Sand shinobi's stomach so hard and fast that he sprouted multiple fists. Gaara began gasping with pain as his exposed stomach was punished and blood came up not too long afterward.

Sand rose behind Gohan, who knew his time was up and kicked Gaara away into the wall just beneath the balcony that held the Suna and Oto shinobi. The sand sped after its master, just as the saiyan had hoped it would.

He'd taken a gamble not knowing if the sand would kill him first or rescue Gaara. It appeared that Gaara was the bigger priority.

Maniacal laughter filled the air.

"So strong!" Gaara shouted as he lunged forward from the cloud that had obscured him. "So _STRONG!_ My mother is screaming for your blood!" Blood covered his teeth and lower face, making him seem even more terrifying and insane, as if he'd just gotten done eating someone.

Sand was beginning to clump up on his right arm and Gohan lurched as that evil feeling he'd gotten from Gaara before they'd started intensified, slamming his senses like a hammer. He staggered, holding his head as another wave slammed down on him.

"Kill you…Kill you…I'll definitely…_KILL YOU!_" The sand on Gaara's arm shot out, catching Gohan off guard.

'Its speed increased again!' he noted as he was scooped off his feet and propelled across the arena before slamming into the wall with enough force to even knock a couple of the assembled shinobi off their feet.

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura shouted, leaning over the rail as she tried to get a clearer view of what'd happened to the boy.

A yell and a flash lit the air and the sand and expanding cloud of powder were blown away, revealing Gohan, breathing hard and blood running down the right side of his face, right over his eye forcing it to close or get blinded.

As the sand gathered again for another strike, the saiyan boy wiped his face frantically, trying the clear the blood and get both eyes back. He'd need it for this fight, he knew.

The sand finished collecting and shot at him again, the end opening up and giving the impression of a giant hand reaching out at him.

Gohan rolled, the attack missing and slamming through the wall. A section disconnected and came at him like a water fountain's arc, forcing the saiyan boy to keep rolling if he wanted to stay alive.

The world became a blur of color with the sound of impacts, hard enough to crack the floor, filling his ears, the ground jumping with every strike.

He bumped into the wall.

The sand reared.

There was nowhere to go.

"Now I've got you!" Gaara crowed triumphantly as his sand began its descent.

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura shouted again, unable to see since what was going on was happening right under the balcony. "No!"

Another explosion rang out, the smoke roaring out from beneath their balcony like a hurricane's wind.

"Gohan!" Naruto called. "Damn you!" he shouted, rounding on Gaara, whose right side was entirely covered in sand. "I'll make you pay for that you bastard!"

"Thanks Naruto," said a voice. A shadow emerged from within the smoke. "But I can handle this."

"Gohan-kun!"

"Hell yeah! Now you're in for it you sand using freak!"

Kakashi was watching his newest student with a look that could've been akin to pride, but it was overshadowed by concern.

'Gohan, you may be used to stuff like this,' he thought, 'but Gaara is something you've never fought before. If you're not careful, you will die.'

The hybrid stood in front of Gaara again, who looked almost puzzled at his inability to take out one kid.

"Why?" he asked, making Gohan cock an eyebrow. "Why can't I kill you?"

"The better question is, why do you want to kill me?" Gohan answered, his tone slightly biting. "What did I ever do to you that made you want to kill me? I don't even _know_ you!"

"Because you're strong!" Gaara answered, his right eye fading from teal to a faint gold with a star shaped pupil with four dots in between the points of the star as the sand crept over that side of his face. "I'll kill you because of that and make everyone acknowledge my existence!"

"That's your reason?" Gohan sounded shocked. "If you kill me just because then you're no better than an animal!"

"Yes!" Gaara shouted. "I'm an animal! Hated and despised by my village! I have nothing! And you…" his bi-colored gaze wandered over Sakura and Naruto and the rest of the Rookie Nine on the balcony, "you have everything and…" his voice dropped to an eerie hiss. "I hate you for it! So. Let me show you what it's like to have _NOTHING!_" His arm shot out, not at Gohan, but at the spectators from Konoha.

"Shit!" Gohan shouted as the jounin moved to protect their students, but they were startled when a shape appeared in front of them and took the hit.

It was Gohan, who crossed his arms to protect himself and was slammed into the wall in between Sakura and Naruto. The two watched in horror as Gohan spat up blood and was withdrawn from the hole in the wall and slowly lowered to his opponent's mercy.

The hand detached and started floating, held aloft by Gaara's chakra and slowly began to entirely envelope the saiyan, who was struggling to free himself.

"It's no use," Gaara told him, his face no longer human but a terrifying visage of some creature made totally of sand with purple veins running through it. "No one escapes my coffin."

The other boy ignored him, trying to dislodge the sand and get an arm free. If he shot a ki blast now, the explosion and concussion would tear his arm clean off. It was as Gaara said though and the sand continued its relentless advance, passing his elbows and moving on as inexorably as a glacier. Worry began to show in the trapped teen's eyes as he lost more and more movement room.

The sand passed his neck and totally enveloped him, leaving only his face showing. He could hear the screams of the Rookie Nine, muffled by sand and tried to break free, but then the sand passed over his face and he had to stop or risk suffocating.

"Now, you die and my mother gets to drink your blood," Gaara announced as he extended his left arm, free of sand below the elbow, "enjoy the after life! Sabaku Sousou!"

The sand moved in a half and inch, then stopped.

"What?"

Shafts of light, as bright and as golden as the dawn sun, pierced the shell of grains. The cocoon began to shake and tremble, then a yell became audible, muffled by the sand, but still there, slowly growing in pitch and volume as more rays burst from the sand coffin.

There was a flash and it exploded outward and the screaming reached an almost deafening pitch.

"Look out!" Kakashi shouted, tackling his team, right as the shockwave from the explosion reached them, passing over and slamming into the wall with enough force to gouge and pit it. When he let them up, the jounin was surprised to see that the rail in front of him was gleaming on one side and still painted on the other. His jounin vest was also shredded, the back ripped open as if by some unseen force. "Wow. Instant sandblasting."

Down in the center of the arena was a massive cloud, hanging like fog over where Gohan had been trapped. Gaara extricated himself from the remains of the hand statue. He'd been blown there when the shockwave had slammed in to him.

The sand began to swirl faster and faster, then the chirping became audible.

"You can hit me and even kill me," said the voice the chirping belonged to, "and I'll be fine with that." There was a whump and the smoke went from swirling to rippling outward like a stone that'd been thrown into a river. "But the moment you involve my friends is where I draw the line!"

Gohan emerged from the maelstrom, but he was changed. Gold hair blew gently in the breeze created by the rushing gold flaming that chirped and rippled around his body, and hard jade eyes drilled into Gaara's faint yellow ones.

"I'm going to end this here and now!"

"What is that?" Naruto asked as he looked over the changes that'd come over his roommate. "Is that Gohan?"

"That's not Gohan-kun is it?" asked Lee, who looked rather dumbfounded.

"So. He's decided to do it," Kakashi murmured. "This battle is going to heat up again."

Gohan gestured at Gaara, beckoning to him with one finger. "Come!"

Gaara's arm flew at him and Gohan ducked, his body blurring as he moved then launched forward with enough force to shatter the ground beneath him.

"HAAAAAA!"

His fist flashed and burrowed into the other boy's face, going through the sand and hitting the flesh beneath it, bouncing the Jinchuuriki off the wall behind him.

"DIE!" Gaara twisted in the air and launched his other hand at Gohan as he sprouted a tail that was ringed like a raccoon's. The Super Saiyan simple raised a hand and caught the incoming attack with ease.

His ki surged and the shock blew that hand apart.

"That attack won't work anymore," Gohan stated then flew at Gaara and kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying into the wall just above the double doors. He cupped his hands at his sides. "I'm sorry, but if you're going to involve my friends then I will stop you by any means necessary. I will _not_ allow anyone to hurt them!"

A blue star formed in the warrior's hands and his emerald eyes narrowed as he spotted the movement in the cloud.

"Kamehame…HAAAAAA!"

The blue energy was thrust at Gaara and erupted forth like the storm surge of a hurricane, rocketing towards Gaara, who looked stunned at the size of the blast that was heading for him, then he was lost amid the blue-white light of the attack.

The explosion shook the room and knocked everyone off their feet.

There was a low rumbling noise as the smoke cleared and revealed a startling surprise.

A wedge-shaped shield of sand that sparkled like diamond.

"I-Impossible," Gohan stuttered, looking utterly surprised at the obstacle. "No way…"

The sand dissolved, revealing Gaara, now covered in sand, unharmed. He tapped the sparkle that hung in the air and the sand that had been turned to glass by the Kamehameha shattered.

"Kakashi-sensei, I don't get it," Sakura said. "How did Gaara stay in one piece?"

"That wedge of sand," the jounin answered grimly. "It split and deflected the force of the explosion instead of trying to absorb it all at once."

Neji snorted. "This guy is surprisingly stupid if he doesn't realize what the term absolute defense means."

"Hey!" Naruto snarled, getting in the Hyuuga's face. "Don't say that about Gohan you prick! Just you wait, Gohan'll beat this guy then I'll kick your ass in the finals!"

"As if Fate would allow me to lose to a Dobe like you."

"Why you…" He tried to hit the prodigy, but was stopped by Lee. "Bushy Brows!"

"I understand your feelings, Naruto-kun, believe me I do, but you cannot fight Neji here and now. Doing so would mean disqualification." Naruto looked for a moment like he would ignore the taijutsu master, but he turned with a huff and looked over at Gohan, who'd lost his stunned look and was trying to figure out a way to deal with this change in the plan.

'I'm having a hard time with him. A really hard time. I've got him outclassed in sheer power, but he's got the range and the flexibility. Also his attacks have been getting more and more fierce with the boost in speed. It's as if he's only borrowing the power from something and that something is starting to come to the fore.' Green eyes narrowed. 'I have to get him on the defensive.'

Gohan winked out.

Gaara's eyes went wide right before a foot flashed from beneath him and caught him in the chin, launching him into the ceiling. He bounced off and began to head down.

Gohan appeared next to him and booted him across the arena again, zooming after him in a blaze of gold light, catching and passing the flying genin then belting him into the ground. Gaara bounced with a crunch, rising just enough for the follow-up kick to get underneath him and punt him straight up.

Gaara crashed through the ceiling and kept going, breaking through the pinnacle of the tower, hanging in the air for a split second.

"HRAAAA!"

Gohan appeared above him, hands behind his head and clenched together. Down they came and burrowed into Gaara's gut, folding the Jinchuuriki around them before he blasted back toward the earth, tearing second hole in the ceiling. All down the tower, the windows blew out and smoke belched from them as the sand covered genin passed through the levels and the very foundations shook as Gaara slammed through the last level and crashed into the ground in a blast of wind and dust.

In the center of the arena was a massive crater from which a single arm stuck up, the sand streaming away like water from a sieve until it was human again.

Gohan appeared in a blur, touching down with only the soft tap of his shoe's thin rubber soles to announce him.

Silence prevailed as everyone took in the results before them.

"No…way…" Was the only thing Kankuro could say.

"He…He did it? He really beat…Gaara?" Temari asked, clearly stunned at the outcome.

"To defeat Gaara in one on one combat. Such a thing is unheard of," Baki added. Beside them, no one noticed the greedy expression on the Oto jounin, who's features vaguely resembled Orochimaru's but not to the point of being able to tell it was him.

'Excellent! Simply astounding! Gohan-kun has a tremendous amount of power, even more than I anticipated! To have that power for my own…' The gold eyes were backlit by an insane light. 'That would make me unbeatable in this world _and_ the next!'

"So…" Kakashi said, clearly at a loss for words. "This is the power. This is what he tried to do that day at the bridge."

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"This is the power of a Super Saiyan is like."

"Super Saiyan?" Naruto asked. "The hell is that?"

Kakashi pointed at the gold-haired warrior below. "That," he said simply.

"That kid…did this?" Anko asked the Sandaime, who was looking rather alarmed himself at the devastation Gohan had caused. "Isn't there a rule against brats being _this_ powerful? I mean, before he was jounin level at best. Now I think he can take on a Kage and stand a chance of winning or if not, a draw!"

"We should count ourselves fortunate that Gohan-kun is in possession of a good heart, stable mind, and sound judgment. Were he as unstable as Gaara-kun seems to be, I shudder to think of what state the world would be in." Despite all she'd seen and all the horrific things she'd seen Orochimaru do, the mental image of Gohan with Gaara's personality made Anko tremble.

"Let's hope nothing happens to make him that way," she said fervently. The Sandaime could only nod.

Gohan dropped out of Super Saiyan, doubling over and heaving great breaths. Cleary the fight with Gaara had drained him more than he'd let on. Everyone present made a metal note to never judge Gohan by his appearance. If he could be that tired and still put up that strong a façade, then there was no way to gauge him by his face alone.

Hayate stepped up, looked rather wary of the Super Saiyan. "Winner…Son Go-…" he trailed off and no one bothered to ask why. The ground was shaking and rumbling. There was a flash of light and once again the arena was filled with the pulsing chirp of an aura. Cracks began forming in the ground and Gohan leapt back, right as one snapped open beneath him and spewed a plume of sand.

All over the floor, the fractures opened and began to spew sand.

One opened beneath the Kage's balcony, forcing the Sandaime to move to the genin's viewpoint as sand impaled the vantage point right where he'd been standing the moment before.

"Hokage-sama!" One of the plainclothes ANBU shouted. "What's going on here!?"

Across the way, the Suna-nin were all against the wall, trying to get as far from the danger as possible.

"We have to split, Baki!" Kankuro shouted. "We have to go _now_!"

"But Gaara…" Temari protested. Despite his relentless threats to kill her and her brother, Gaara was also Temari's brother and she wasn't about to just abandon him. "What about Gaara!?"

"There's nothing we can do for him," Baki answered, the side of his face that was visible grim. "You've all won your matches. Let's go."

They ran for the exit, but a wall of sand blocked their way and forced them to the balcony with the Konoha group.

"Nobody's going anywhere!" Announced a high-pitched voice. It seemed to come from Gaara himself. The hand that was visible was twitching and jerking violently, as if Gaara was having a seizure. "No one leaves unless they're in a body bag!"

There was a noise akin to an explosion and Gaara rose up as an indistinct shadow with glowing golden eyes.

Despite himself, Gohan gulped nervously as he prepared for the second round.

"And," the voice announced, leveling a 'finger' at him. "I'm gonna start with you!"

* * *

So, that's that. Sorry for how rushed the first part of the chapter was, but I'm sure the Gohan vs. Gaara made up for it, right? I hope so. I was listening to various Japanese songs as I was writing this, from Zips Remix by TM Revolution to Colors by Flow. What else...Oh yeah, I know I said updates would slow down, but somehow they've sped up and the reason for that is school is too damn slow! I'm sure it'll pick up and if not...Well, you all get the benefit of faster chapters don't you. Anyway that's all I've got, so see you next time!


	15. Beyond the Sandstorm

Disclaimer: Own nothing

Last time: Gohan squares off with Gaara and manages to unleash Shukakku by accident

This time: The prelims conclusion and Sakura's training begins

* * *

Gohan was shaking. He was loath to admit it, but he was truly scared of this thing. The sand continued to pile up all around him, leaving the warrior with only the air above him and the rapidly shrinking ground around his feet with which to use.

'Even though I'm scared,' Gohan thought, 'I felt this way during the Cell Games and I pulled through then. So,' his jade eyes steeled, 'I'm not gonna let this time be any different!'

The demon across from him laughed manically.

"Ahhhh," he sighed, flexing and moving Gaara's sand-shrouded limbs. "It feels so _good_ to get a chance to stretch my legs. I haven't been able to do this for almost three months now."

"Just…Just what are you!?" Gohan demanded.

"Who me?" The creature asked, the human form of Gaara giving way totally to some creature who could make and control sand. "You can call me Shukaku. But," he added with a predatory grin, "I prefer your executioner!"

A shadow fell over the young warrior, who looked behind him and paled. A massive wall of sand had risen up behind him without his noticing and was getting ready to slam down on him like a ton of bricks. The wall began its descent and Gohan thrust his hands out to meet it.

"HAAAA!"

The shockwave blew a neat round hole in the onrushing powdery substance and the wave collapsed on him, though the saiyan managed to avoid any real injuries as the hole passed by him.

Something slammed him from behind and carried Gohan straight into the wall, smashing him into it and pinning him. He hissed in pain as the hand clenched tight around him, grinding his elbows into his ribs.

"HAAAHAHAHAHAA!" Shukaku crowed. "This is gonna be FUN! Hope you last a while boy, 'cause you're gonna die slowly!" With that, the arm holding Gohan withdrew then shot out again, slamming him headlong into the door of the arena.

Everyone winced as Gohan cried out when his forehead hit the hard and unforgiving concrete. Then the hand dragged the saiyan sideways, running his head through the walls before slamming him to the floor, into the wall, into the other wall, the bottom of the opposing balcony, against the rail of their balcony, each time Gohan crying out in pain as his body took a bigger and bigger beating. It wasn't long before his face and shoulders, the only parts of him visible, were cut and lacerated, blood flying everywhere as he was thrown around the room like a rag doll in a rabid dog's mouth.

"G-Gohan…-kun," Sakura whispered, looking absolutely horrified at the torture the demon down below was putting him through. The sand claw withdrew then launched straight up.

"Let's see how you like being put through the ceiling, huh!?" the sand demon shouted gleefully. He was taking an absurd amount of pleasure in hurting his victim. There was a crunch as the hand slammed into and through the roof of the arena. The sand hand dissolved and Gohan began to fall, tumbling limply, though his hair remained golden, so he wasn't dead or unconscious.

"Not done yet!" Shukaku cried, launching his left arm forward.

"Gohan look out!" Naruto shouted, leaning over the rail.

That seemed to breath new life into the saiyan warrior, whose jade eyes snapped open and he twisted in mid fall, the sandy claw scraping over his back and opening some minor abrasions. His hands came together in front of his forehead.

"Masenko….HAAAA!"

The yellow beam shot across the arena.

A sand shield sprang up as if by magic, intercepting the attack long before it would've hit the demon. Gohan landed lightly on the sand. It sprang up and tangled him. Shukaku's arms retreated then shot out again.

"Take this!"

The two arms slammed together, Gohan's cry of pain echoing through the chamber. They opened again and the teen staggered then collapsed onto one knee, clutching at his ribs and coughing up blood.

"I don't get it," Sakura said. "Gohan's so powerful. He has to have that demon outclassed, but he's having such a hard time."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. You're right, Sakura. Gohan does outclass the Shukaku when it comes down to raw power, however, there is more to combat than the amount of chakra or ki you possess."

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, never taking his eyes off his roommate, who was staggering back to his feet, wincing with every movement.

"I mean that though Gohan has the power and drive to win, there're other things at work here. One is the inflexibility of ki. It has some amazing uses, that much is true, but when it comes to offensive attacks, it's pretty inflexible. Two is the range. Gohan is primarily a close-range fighter. Most of his attacking involves getting close to his enemy and blitzing them with a barrage of blows. The long range stuff is done with ki."

"Which the Ichibi is able to neutralize with his sand shield ability," the Sandaime broke it, puffing on his pipe and looking grim. "Furthermore, Shukaku has one thing that Gohan-kun lacks by a tremendous amount."

"What's that?" Tenten asked.

The Hokage smirked ironically. "Bloodlust," he answered simply. "In this world, shinobi battles sometimes come down to who has the greatest bloodlust. Gohan-kun simply does not have it. He wishes to cherish and protect life, which is another type of strength altogether, however, there are times when one needs to let go of that and want nothing more than to decimate the enemy."

'Dammit!' Gohan cursed. 'I need to stop this guy, but his attacks come from wherever there's sand and right now…' He looked around the arena. 'This place is his playground.'

Shukakku held up an arm, the surface bubbling and rippling as if the sand itself was coming to a boil. "Suna Shuriken!" The demon shouted. The bulges shot out, speeding at Gohan who was taken off guard and brought his arms up to defend.

He grunted as the projectiles hit and opened gashes on his arms.

Another arm of sand caught him, this one from behind since it'd sprouted from the ground. He was swept off his feet and carried towards the demon, who shot his attached arm at him. Gohan let out a yell, forcing out ki in a huge pulse. The shock blew away the two hands, opened up a spot on the floor to stand on and shoved Shukakku back a bit.

"An opening!" Naruto shouted. "Get him Gohan!"

The warrior shot a massive ki blast that caught the Shukakku full in the face and blew him head over heels.

"Hell yeah!" The blond shouted. "That's the way!"

Gohan was already skimming over the sand, a small wake rising behind him, reaching the demon just as it got its feet under him. The sand raccoon caught a flash of a foot then he was flying through the air. He flipped and got ready to launch an attack. Sand lunged for Gohan's ankle, but the saiyan leapt into the air, breaking the bonds before they had time to form.

Eyes burning, the Super Saiyan was enveloped in a gold aura and blasted forward with renewed speed, drawing back as he prepared to throw his momentum and body weight behind the strike.

The sand on Gaara's body rushed forward and created a shield.

The blow hit and Shukakku was sent speeding towards the floor. The sand there formed a cushion and caught him, turning into a sphere when Gohan dropped from above with a massive axe kick that landed heavily enough to deform and warp the sphere. Spikes formed, but the saiyan was already leaping away, inches ahead of the spears of sand.

'No way I'm getting through that if it's as hard as the rest of that damned sand,' the warrior thought. 'I need a technique to cut through…' he thought for a moment then it hit him.

"Alright. He showed me, but it was a long time ago…Well, here goes nothing!" Gohan put two fingers to his forehead and forced as much ki into the fingertips as he could. In no time, his fingers began to spark and crackle as electric-like ki gathered, glowing and sparking madly as the small sparkle grew.

"What's he doing?" Lee asked. "That amount of chakra will not make it."

"He's up to something," Neji answered. "Watch and you might learn something."

'Almost there. Don't move for another minute, please!' Gohan pleaded silently. The outside of the sphere roiled and raged then a claw of sand shot out heading straight for him like a runaway train.

"Gohan-kun! Get out of the way!" Sakura shouted.

'I would, but I can't! If I move, I'll lose my concentration then this will be the end! I have one shot to end this, so I gotta make it count!' Gohan thought.

"I don't know what you're planning," Shukakku shouted, "but it won't work!"

The spark on his fingers flashed and Gohan grinned triumphantly. He thrust the spark forward.

"We'll see about that! Makankosappo!"

Whatever the watching shinobi might've been expecting, it wasn't a thin yellow beam of ki with a spiral pattern spinning around the outside like the threads on a screw. The two attacks passed each other and continued on. The spiraling attack reached its target first.

The ki slammed into the sphere of sand and burst straight out the other side, apparently doing nothing. Gohan's world went dark as the sand slammed into him, the claw carried by momentum, and sent him flying into the remains of the hand statue. The impact shook the arena and knocked everyone off their feet as a brown cloud swept over the floor.

The Suna-nin groaned then Temari sat up with a gasp.

"Gaara!"

The sphere of sand was falling away fast and when Gaara was revealed, it wasn't a pretty sight. A ragged and bloody hole had been drilled right through him, missing his spine by the merest of margins. If Gohan's aim had been even a half-inch to the left, the Suna-nin would've been paralyzed from the waist down.

"What happened to Gohan-kun!?" Sakura asked, looking almost frantic. She made to leap down to the floor, but Kakashi stopped her. "Kakashi-sensei!?"

"Wait," the jounin said, who had the air of being about ready to jump himself. "Hayate hasn't called the match. If you go in now, Gohan will be disqualified." From the roiling dust cloud emerged a shadow, which resolved into Gohan, gold hair and green eyes nowhere to be found. He'd been KO'd for the briefest of seconds, but it was enough for him to drop out of transformation and he didn't have the stamina to try again.

"It's…over…." He panted. "You're…too…wounded to fight."

"Never!" Shukaku shrieked, raising a hand. The sand came when it was called and it sped at Gohan again.

"Look out!"

Gohan wasn't sure who shouted it, but he knew there was no avoiding it.

'So…This ends the Chuunin Exams for me huh?' He thought, with a small smile. 'Oh well. It just means I have to train harder.'

The sand stopped and began to dissolve.

"What?"

Shukaku screamed long and loud, clutching at his head, his golden eyes fading to teal as Gaara took advantage of the demon's weakened state to reassert himself in control. When he finished, he had a coughing fit that made the hole in him burn like a thousand snake bites then he lost consciousness and keeled over backwards.

"Winner!" Announced Hayate as he dropped from the corner of the ceiling where he'd spent most of the match, "Son Gohan!"

Cheer erupted from the balcony to his left as Gohan smiled weakly. Maybe he'd beaten Gaara by chance, but he'd been caught off guard by the demon and his ferocity. Now that he knew about it, it wouldn't happen again. If there was a next time, Gaara would lose, no question.

The warrior wasn't sure when he blacked out but he did and hit the ground with a thud.

* * *

"Uhhhh. Wha?" The world began to come into sight again. Gohan hissed as he found himself looking right into one of the fluorescent lights of Konoha General Hospital. "Stupid place for a light," he muttered, shielding his eyes

He tried to sit up but hissed with pain as he felt the wounds on his upper body tear open again and begin to bleed. A nurse came in right then. She looked shocked, her clipboard clattering to the floor.

"You're awake!?" She gasped. "With your injuries we thought you'd be out for a week at least!"

"How long?" Gohan asked as the woman came over to his bed and began to change the bandages that shrouded his upper body and encircled his head.

"Three days, though you've been awake and feverish some of the time. Your wounds got infected." She shook her head. "Seriously, what're they thinking making kids like you fight to the death?"

The warrior didn't respond, knowing the question to be rhetorical. The whole time she was changing the wrappings, the nurse was fuming about his state, marveling at his stamina and wondering why kids had to go and fight like they did. Gohan remained silent through the whole thing, not feeling like he should talk.

"There, finished," the nurse said finally. "now don't move! You'll pop those lacerations open again and I don't wanna have to change the wrappings so soon! Your jounin will be in shortly to check up on you and we'll figure out what to do with you then."

She left and Gohan enjoyed the silence, knowing that with Kakashi, soon meant about two hours from now.

He was wrong

It wasn't long before Team Seven, including a fully conscious Sasuke, came bursting into his room.

"Gohan!!" Naruto shouted, all but jumping on him. "That was awesome! You showed his ass!"

"How're you Gohan-kun?" Sakura asked softly, looking like she was going to cry at seeing him in this state.

The warrior smirked. "I feel like I just got done fighting Broly."

"Who?"

"Someone I never want to fight again," he answered and let it go at that.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well, as thrilling as it is to have you with us again, we have to fill you in on what's going to happen in the future."

"Huh?"

"You will be fighting in the finals one month from now. Here's the pairings." He tossed a small scroll into Gohan's lap, which the saiyan warrior picked up painfully. He struggled to unroll it but kept fumbling it with fingers that were stiff from days of disuse.

"Here, let me." Sakura said, taking the scroll from and unrolling it.

"Thanks Sakura," Gohan murmured. The girl just smiled, but had a look that said she was confused about something.

"What?"

"Huh! Oh! Nothing, Gohan-kun."

The saiyan looked at the roster.

Match 1: Hyuuga Neji vs. Uzumaki Naruto.

Match 2: Rock Lee vs. Son Gohan

Match 3: Sabaku no Temari vs. Haruno Sakura

Match 4: Aburame Shino vs. Sabaku no Kankuro

Match 5: Abumi Zaku vs. Nara Shikamaru.

"Me and Lee huh?" Gohan asked. He grinned. "Should be fun!"

"Yeah, and when you win we get to fight!" Naruto crowed. "I'm gonna make Ero-sennin train me extra hard so I can catch you Gohan!" Sasuke looked pissed that they were in the exams and he wasn't, but he didn't say anything.

"I hope I can make it," Sakura murmured. "Temari-san seems awfully strong."

Gohan leaned back against his pillow with a grunt. "Don't worry," he assured her. "When I'm done with you, you'll be more than able to stand up to her."

"Somehow, that makes me really nervous," the kunoichi muttered under her breath.

"So you intend to train Sakura?" Kakashi asked, looking kind of surprised.

"Yeah. Speaking of which, I want to go outside the village to do it. Can you get that cleared?"

"Shouldn't be too much of a problem," Kakashi answered. "I think Sandaime-sama will be comfortable with your ability to protect her."

"So what about me?" Sasuke asked, sounding slightly sullen. He was still kind of mad at Gohan for getting him disqualified. When they weren't face to face, Sasuke was normal and forgot about it, but when he'd seen the warrior in the flesh, all that rage and negative emotion came rushing right back.

"Well, it doesn't seem fair for Naruto, Sakura and Gohan to get special training," Kakashi said, "so I'm going to train you. Teach you a few of the Sharingan's tricks."

"I look forward to it."

"Well, if that's all, I'll go now," the jounin said. "Gohan, the doc says you can head out three days from now." He looked over at Gohan's new student. "I suggest you pack, Sakura. Something tells me Gohan's gonna go as soon as his foot hits the pavement."

"Sure am." The saiyan warrior muttered. "I hate hospitals!"

* * *

Three days later, Gohan was standing at the village gates. Sure enough, Sandaime-sama had cleared them to leave as soon as Gohan was good to go. Thankfully, Saiyans healed faster than normal humans, given enough time to rest, so now the young man was bound only in minimal bandages that he expected to take off in another day or two.

"Gohan-kun!"

He looked over and grinned as he spotted Sakura running towards him with a small brown pack thrown over her shoulder. She'd spent the three days packing, but when she realized that she'd be traveling with Gohan-kun, who probably didn't care how she looked, and training, she realized that a huge load wasn't the way to go, so she'd gone with the basics. "Wow! New look?"

"Yeah. Kakashi said that my clothes and gi were both trashed so he went and bought me this." Gohan was wearing a sleevless gi like what karate masters practiced in with a shinobi's bracer on his right arm, a fishnet shirt like Shikamaru's under the gi, and kung fu pants tucked into the top of shinobi sandal boots. His cape, taken to a clothing shop to get redone, as it was the only salvageable thing from his wardrobe, hung from his shoulders. The teen's hirai-ate was tied around his waist, keeping the gi closed. He pulled out a small tray from a hidden pocket on the inside of his gi top.

"Put your stuff there," he said pointing to a random spot. Sakura did as she was asked then Gohan pulled out a small capsule and chucked it at the pack. It vanished in a puff of smoke.

"What?"

"Don't worry. I'll explain while we walk."

"Huh? You mean we're not flying to wherever we're going?"

"Nope. Training starts now, with this." He opened another capsule. Inside was a vest and what looked like arm and leg guards. He handed them to Sakura who almost tipped over with the weight.

"What the hell!? I won't be able to move!"

"Trust me. While you wear these, you're always training, so we can work on the basics and things during breaks and stuff." The kunoichi scowled, but threw on the equipment, looking slightly shocked when it didn't look half bad on her. Gohan noticed. "It's a gift from Piccolo-sensei. He gave me those about three or four months ago so I would be able to wear them under normal clothing and Mom would never know."

The warrior headed for the gate but stopped. "Coming Sakura?"

The girl was struggling to even lift a leg.

"Shut up! I don't have super strength like you! How can I move with this shit on!?"

"Huh? You mean you can't use chakra to amplify your muscles?" Gohan asked, looking kind of surprised.

Sakura blushed as she remembered that Tsunade of the Sannin was famous for just that thing. She made a hand seal and focused charka into her muscles. Then she lifted her leg. It still took an effort that exhausted her, but at least now she would be able to move.

"There you go!" her 'teacher' crowed. "Now, let's get going!"

He started walking away, Sakura lugging her newly increased body weight down the road, moving as if she was trying to drag a massive object behind her. The two chuunin guarding the gate sweatdropped.

"Poor girl," one of them remarked.

"Yeah. I've been hearing rumors about that kid. They say he's a monster who can take on Orochimaru and live to tell about it."

"Seriously? Man, that chick better be tough then."

"You said it."

It was twilight when finally, mercifully, Gohan stopped walking. Sakura keeled over backwards the moment he did, making a small indentation in the ground when she hit, breathing hard and sweating like a pig.

"Finally!" She muttered. For the last few hours they'd been walking, Gohan doing everything from whistling to even convincing a bird to land on his finger and hang around them for awhile. It was as if he didn't even feel the weight of his cape. She'd questioned him on it once during the walk.

"_Huh? Oh, I just don't notice it anymore. Actually," he shrugged, looking at the cape with slight apprehension, "this is getting a bit light. I'm gonna have to increase the weight soon."_

'Increase the weight he says,' Sakura thought as she stared up at the sky, which looked as if it was on fire, shot through as it was with gold, pink, and red. The clouds were dyed a gentle pinkish color. It was a pretty scene, Sakura supposed.

"Okay, time to really get going!" Gohan announced.

"Huh!? What the hell do you mean!? I'm exhausted here! I don't think I can move!" It was true. She'd used a lot of her charka to get moving, so now she was running low. In the last few hours, every step had taken more effort. Right before they'd stopped, the kunoichi had been dragging her feet like Frankenstein's monster.

"But that's why we're training now," Gohan explained. "You're at your limit, so the time to push you harder is now."

"But I'll die!"

"No you won't!" Gohan laughed. "I thought the same thing when Piccolo-sensei trained me, but the end results were worth it."

"I guess," she answered, getting to her feet like a turtle that'd been flipped. "But if I die, I'm gonna haunt your ass, even if you get back to your dimension!"

"Heheheh. Fair enough. Now, let's see your basics."

* * *

For the next week to week and a half, Sakura trained hard every day and late into the night. After only a few hours of sleep, they were on their way again and it became routine. Wake up. Walk all day with a heavy weight load, stop, train for hours on end, doing techniques and working out, then sleep and repeat.

During that time the two grew even closer and Sakura began to get these strange leaping sensations in her stomach whenever Gohan-kun praised her or was pressed close, like when she was working on basic joint locks and throws and Gohan had had to press right against her in order to show her the way it was done. The sensations unnerved the pink-haired kunoichi, but she didn't say anything and even secretly began to enjoy them.

"Gohan-kun?"

"Yeah?" The saiyan asked, stopping and looking back at her as she lumbered along behind him. They'd been walking for most of the day, and while for the majority Sakura had been walking normally, now that her chakra was running low, she had started dragging again.

"Why is this weight thing not getting any lighter?"

For some reason, the teen laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his head. "Well, I guess you just haven't gotten used to it yet. It took me about a week or two to get used to the cape."

"Oh."

"But you are showing improvement! I mean, last week would you have said that you would be able to walk for as long as you have?"

The kunoichi thought. Now that he mentioned it, her chakra had been increasing as of late and she seemed to be gaining muscle up and down her body. "No, I guess I wouldn't have."

"There you see? Just keep at it, you can do it." She nodded and stumbled past him. Gohan watched her go with a hidden smile.

'She really has potential. She doesn't know it, but I've been increasing the weight without her knowing. Piccolo-sensei really knew what he was doing when he made those weights to be able to increase their weight based on how much ki is put in them.' He grinned. 'Just wait Sakura. When you take those weights off, you won't recognize yourself!'

* * *

At the end of the second week, the pair, Sakura walking upright but with a noticeable forward lean, strode into a veritable bedlam. The village they'd come across was under attack.

Pillagers of every kind were running amok, whooping and hollering, waving naked swords in the sky and running people down on horseback. Young women cried in terror as they were caught in tight corners and tied up like a cow at a rodeo and loaded onto the back of a horse.

"Ami!" One mother shrieked as her daughter, a teen who looked to be around nineteen, was scooped up as she fled and slung across one bandit's lap.

"Hahaha!" he laughed, "Lookie here boys! Another one for the camp!" Those within earshot cheered raucously.

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura shouted, "We have to help!" She took a few steps forward, but her companion's hand held her back. "Let go!"

"Sakura, leave it to me," he said, a serious fire beginning to burn in his eyes. The young warrior had a real soft spot for the innocent and his drive to protect was matched only by his father's, "You're not used to the weights you've got on. Do you really think you could fight them?"

"So let me take them off!" She protested. After they'd left Konoha, Gohan had made her promise to not take off the weights until he gave the okay. The kunoichi had been in a real hurry to impress the saiyan, so she'd agreed, but now it seemed that she would have to void that promise.

"I said I'll handle it."

"Hey!" called another bandit, spotting the two as they stood at the entrance to the village. "Here's two more and that girl looks like she could be a pretty good servant!"

Five bandits grinned and ran at them, swords held high, ever single grubby bandit yelling, more to intimidate than anything else. Sakura reached for her weapons pouch, but stopped when her view was blocked by a white cape.

"Gohan-kun!"

"Kill him!" One of the rushing men shouted. Five swords swung down. There was a clash of steel on steel as all five katanas were halted effortlessly by the bracer on Gohan's right arm. The bandits grinned as they pushed down, forcing Gohan's arm down a fraction of an inch.

"HAAAAAAA!"

There was a whump as a shockwave slammed into the bandits knocking them backwards, forcing openings to become glaringly vulnerable.

A blur of motion passed by each one and they were all blown away, swords splintered into shining silver fragments, to crash into other bandits, dive headfirst through the wood planks of houses and one man ended up headfirst in a rain barrel.

Gohan quit moving, his cape snapping tight against his body. The pillagers shrank back as he glared at them. "I'm going to say this once!" he announced. "Leave and don't come back."

"Die brat!"

An arrow flashed from the bow of one of the bandits.

Its flight was stopped between the saiyan boy's fingers. They pushed together and the arrow shaft snapped as if it was a toothpick.

"Not bad!" Yelled a horseman, galloping straight at him. "But let's see you stop…_this!?_" He was flying through the air before he'd finished speaking. Gohan had fazed in right next to the horse, batted the man's yari aside while simultaneously giving the horse a quick heel hand where the neck met the jaw. The animal's neck had snapped sideways and it'd stumbled then gone down, launching his rider through the air as if he'd been launched from a catapult.

The bandits shrank back.

"What's going on here?" Asked a deep voice. A massive man, three hundred pounds and an easy six foot five, loomed from the shadows, a turkey leg clenched in his hand. Grease spurted as he tore off a strip and gulped it down like a hyena stripping a carcass.

"Ganosuke!" One of the bandits cried, sounding rather relieved. "This kid's scary!"

Beady eyes looked over the boy that'd started dismantling the gang. Booming laughs, ones that came from the man's tremulous stomach, echoed across the street, shaking every inch of the sumo. "This kid is scary!? I've seen Chihuahuas scarier than him!" He thrust the turkey leg into the hands of one of the other bandits. "Hold this, I'll deal with him." Ganosuke lumbered over to Gohan and Sakura had to do a double take at the contrast between the two.

Ganosuke was huge, his fat, tan, body covered with scars and glistening with either sweat or oil, she couldn't be sure which. Gohan was maybe five foot five, five foot six and probably all of around a hundred pounds. It was David vs. Goliath, and she had to wonder, would Gohan really be able to beat this guy?

"I give you one chance to back down, Gaki," the sumo-like man said, "or I crush you where you stand!"

"Leave the villagers alone," Gohan answered, repeating his earlier statement. "I won't let you hurt them anymore!"

Ganosuke laughed again, his stomach swaying with each hearty chuckle. "Leave them alone? I don't think so Tiny. Y'see, these here villagers live in the Yamabushi's territory so we can do anything we want with 'em! Now, looks like I have to flatten your ass kid!" To Sakura's surprise, the man sank into a martial arts stance.

'But whoever taught him didn't do a very good job,' she noted, picking out two major flaws in his defenses right away. 'His entire front is wide open and his center of gravity is high too. Gohan-kun'll toss his ass like a feather.' Then she blinked. 'Wait, I can see that? Wow, I guess I am learning!'

"Bye-bye Tiny!"

The sumo lunged forward at Gohan, who seemed to be watching almost dispassionately. Ganosuke's arms came up high, leaving his entire body wide open, but the saiyan didn't capitalize on it like Sakura thought he would. Instead, he let the sumo's arms come down. If they hit, they might crush Gohan's collarbones or dislocate his shoulders.

Ganosuke stopped, but not by his own choice. The man's piggish eyes went wide as his arms were forced back. Gohan had grabbed his wrists in an iron vice and stopped the attack cold, though there was a ton of force behind the strike because the black-haired boy had felt the force from it ripple through his body and into the ground, forcing his feet to sink a couple of inches in the dusty street.

The boy shoved and Ganosuke stumbled backwards, totally off balance. Gohan slipped into a low stance and Sakura had to hide her grin as his right arm slipped into chamber, left hand extended to help gauge the distance.

"HAA!" The teen's fist flashed, burrowing into Ganosuke's gut, doubling him over as the flesh of the man's stomach twisted around Gohan's fist. The demi-saiyan pulled back, crouched low, and shot straight up, his fist connecting with the sumo's chin, snapping his head back.

The follow through carried the Z fighter over Ganosuke's head. He flipped and touched down, as light as a summer breeze, right as the sumo hit the ground, shaking it from his impact. The beefy guy was out cold.

The bandits all freaked out.

"Ganosuke!"

"Shit that kid KO'd him!"

"Let's get out of here!"

The bandits fled as if the hounds of hell were after them, leaving all their spoils behind, even the women. The town looked at their impromptu savior with stunned expressions then as one erupted into cheers and that night, threw their two new heros a feast.

* * *

"Shit!" one of the bandits cursed when they were safe in their hideout. "That damn kid! We'll get even with him! He'll find out why you don't fuck with Yamabushi!"

"Yeah!" The others chorused, Ganosuke waving feebly from his bed, two nasty bruises on his gut and chin where he'd been hit.

"Oh really?" Asked a voice from the shadows. "And how do you propose to do that? That boy is more than a match for you, even if there were a thousand of you." The figure that the voice belonged to stepped forward, purple-rimmed gold eyes flashing with dark amusement.

"Who're you?" demanded the first bandit. "How'd you get past the sentries!?"

"Oh, you mean those two poor fools outside?" Orochimaru asked, standing casually with one arm behind his back, "Why, those two gentlemen wouldn't let me in, so I had to insist and when I did," he shrugged in mock-apology, "well, they lost their heads."

His arm came out and tossed something into the light of the fire that burned in the center of the cave hideout. The object turned out to be a pair of heads with stunned looking expressions.

The heads of the sentries.

"Quite literally," the snake sannin finished straight faced, though his eyes showed that he was rather amused with the shocked faces of the assembled Yamabushi Bandits.

"W-what do you want?" the leader demanded, looking as if he would crap his pants at any time.

"The same thing you men want," Orochimaru answered with a low hiss.

"And that is?"

The pale man's face warped as he grinned sadistically, his long tongue lolling out of his mouth.

"_Gohan-kun!"_

* * *

Uh-oh! Gohan's in trouble! One tidbit for the upcoming part of the story, this will set the stage for Gohan's breaking of the second seal, though that won't happen for a while. Well, hope you enjoyed it and I hope I was able to make the Gaara/Gohan fight's end interesting. Now, before you grill me on Gohan's use of Makankosappo, let me explain. Even though Piccolo never taught it to Gohan in canon, I think that it would be stupid for Piccolo to not want to pass along one of his greatest techniques, after all, that's what the Martial Arts is all about. Well, got that out of the way. So...I think that's it. Until next time!

**Glossary**

**Suna Shuriken (Desert/Sand Shuriken): **Gaara never really uses it with just sand, but since he can make sand be as hard as steel, I figured it would be possible. It makes shuriken out of sand that can cut just like real ones, or Gaara can absorb the shuriken thrown by enemies and spit it back, kinda like Kirby.

**Makankosappo (Demon Piercing Light Ray/Special Beam Cannon): **Piccolo's coolest technique, in my opinion. It's a really small beam that drills right through the enemy, like a Rasengan/Chidori mix. Chidori pierces, Rasengan grinds, Makankosappo does both! For obvious reasons, I went with the Japanese name. Honestly, which sounds better, Makankosappo or Special Beam Cannon?


	16. Collapse

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

Last time: Gohan and Sakura train together.

This time: Orochimaru throws a wrench in the plans.

* * *

It wasn't until sometime later that the Yamabushi settled down enough to listen to what the pale man had to say. The inner circle of the bandit gang was arrayed around the fire in a circle, with Orochimaru seated on a chair of bone and rawhide held together with animal sinew.

"So what you're saying is that this Gohan kid is the one who kicked our ass and defeated Ganosuke?" The leader asked, looking at the Sannin that was lounging in the chair like it was some kind of throne.

"Correct," Orochimaru answered.

"And you say that in return for your help in getting our raiding grounds back, you want us to bring you the kid?"

The snake propped his head lazily on one hand. "That is the terms. Easy isn't it? I'll deal with Gohan-kun. All you have to do is get him here." The men looked at each other with questioning gazes. Could they really trust this guy? On the other hand, though, getting rid of that little pest and his girlfriend would be a welcome change.

"Alright," the leader of the Yamabushi Bandits said finally. "We're in. Tell us what to do and we'll take care of the rest."

Orochimaru grinned. "Yes, I'm sure you will." The pale Sannin began to chuckle, and the noise echoed eerily through the cave, raising the hair on all of the assembled men. "Now, I'm sure you know that Gohan-kun is traveling with a kunoichi correct?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well it's simple," the missing-nin explained. "Gohan-kun has an intense drive to protect his friends. It goes to the point that he will even throw himself at a much stronger adversary or throw himself in the path of an enemy's attack in order to save them. You need to bring Gohan-kun to me. Obviously, he won't come if you ask politely." Orochimaru wave a dismissive hand. "Not that any of you are capable of manners." He took no notice of the angered looks on the men around him. The missing-nin continued without pause, "So therefore, you need to persuade him to follow you." Golden eyes searched each face. "I'm sure you can figure it out from there?"

"So we kidnap the girl, this Gohan guy follows her, and then you deal with the kid?"

Orochimaru smirked. "That's the general idea," he replied casually. The snake stood and slipped into the shadows. "I'll return when you have the girl. Oh, and she's wearing weights so you'll either have to get them off or have a few men carry her since none of you have the strength to do it on your own." One of the men snarled and snatched a burning stick from the fire, throwing the brand into the corner where the Sannin had vanished.

The corner was empty.

"Well," the leader said as he stood, trying and failing to hide the nerves he felt. "It's late at night and they should be asleep. If we want to move and get the girl, the time is now."

The men nodded sullenly, feeling as though they were marching to their deaths as they prepared to head out.

* * *

"Ahhh! That was a good meal!" Gohan remarked happily as he flopped back onto a futon.

"Gohan-kun, you ate half of the feast yourself!" Sakura admonished as she plopped down beside him, denting the floor as she hit from all the weights she was wearing. "I swear, sometimes I think you and Naruto could be brothers the way you two act!"

"Eh?" Gohan asked as he folded his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "I'd love to have a brother like Naruto! It'd be great!"

"Do you have a brother?" Sakura asked. She hardly knew anything about his life back in his dimension, other than that the teen next to her had fought in more battles to save the world than she cared to count, his father was a hero who'd willing sacrificed himself in an effort to save millions of lives, and that Gohan's mother was a nice lady with an evil temper.

"Huh? Oh yeah. His name's Goten."

"What was your father's name again?"

"Goku."

"Gohan, Goku, and Goten." Sakura grinned. "Not real original is it?"

Gohan laughed. "How about you Sakura?"

The kunoichi blinked. "Who me?" She looked away. "I'm an only child."

"Lucky."

"Maybe, but I've always wanted a little brother or sister."

"Trust me, they can be trouble. You wouldn't believe the fights Goten and I get into."

"But isn't your little brother like two years old?"

"Yeah, but he's also a half-saiyan, like me so…" he trailed off with a shudder. "You can imagine how bad it gets sometimes."

"Ouch." Sakura winced. From what she'd seen of Gohan so far…man, that house had to be in pieces more often than not. Gohan tugged the covers of the futon over himself then hit the lamp next to his head.

"I'm going to bed. G'night, Sakura."

"Night," she replied, going to the room across the hall, where her own futon was. Really, she was enjoying this training trip with Gohan-kun. Getting to know him better was a great thing. He could laugh just as easy as Naruto, was stronger than even Sasuke, and he didn't have a very thick skull or an over inflated ego like Sasuke.

Sakura felt odd.

She couldn't describe it. At the prospect of getting to know Gohan-kun, she felt…happy, but it wasn't like she normally felt when she was happy. It was something different, something she'd never felt before and had no way to describe it.

'What's this feeling?' She wondered as she stared up at the dark ceiling of her room. Sleep began to claw at her eyes and they dropped closed. 'I've never felt this before, but it doesn't feel…' She never finished her thought as she fell asleep.

Outside, hidden in the shadows and flitting across patches of moonlit ground, four blurs crouched outside the door to the hotel where Sakura and Gohan were staying. Moving as silently as they could, the four men slipped inside, hearts pounding from nerves and anticipation. Their bare feet padded lightly on the meticulously shined teak floors, a loud racket for a shinobi, but for a normal person, dead silent.

They arrived at a stretch of hall that held the target rooms. Two entered Sakura's room while the other pair trained bows on Gohan's door, ready to fire as soon as the brat poked his head out, though the weapons probably would just make him angrier.

Sakura awoke as she heard footsteps, noticed the enemy, almost screamed, but a cloth was pressed over her mouth and she lost consciousness. The four men scooped her up, grunting softly with the efforts, left a note for Gohan on her pillow and carted the kunoichi off.

"Why'd we take the girl, why not the kid?"

"I dunno. That Orochimaru guy's creepy. He said to bring the girl, not the kid, and I'm not about to argue with him. You saw what he did to Rei and his brother. Those two were among our best fighters and they were killed without effort." The other three shivered and quickened their pace.

* * *

"_Gohan-kun!"_

"_Gohan-kun!"_

_The saiyan stirred at the voice then opened his eyes. Sakura's blurry shadow leaned over him. He knew it was her because the sun filtered through her hair and turned it a translucent pink._

"_Sakura? What's going on?"_

_The kunoichi grinned, her eyes hidden by her bangs._

"_Follow me!" She replied, and ran off through the trees._

"_Sakura!" Gohan hurried after her, wondering just where she was going. He stopped short when he burst out of the woods and beheld the sight before him. _

_It was his house at Mt. Paozu, and arrayed outside the door was his mother, Sakura, Goten and his father._

"_Gohan! There you are!" Goku called, his trademark grin lighting his face. "We started to think you got lost! Thank God Sakura was able to find you!"_

"_Dad? How?" Gohan asked. "You're dead. You died in the Cell Games!"_

_Mt. Paozu faded to a white blank, leaving only Sakura, Gohan, and his father standing there._

"_Yeah, I did," Goku replied. "And this girl here will suffer my fate if you don't save her."_

"_Huh?"_

_Sakura looked tearfully at him. "Help me Gohan-kun! Help me!"_

_The white and other two people dissolved to blackness. A pair of eyes glimmered at him out of the shadows and Orochimaru's laugh filled the air._

_The ground dropped out from beneath Gohan and Sakura's screams filled his ears as he fell._

"_No! Sakura! Answer me! Sakura!"_

_The screaming continued, getting louder until it hit the point that it sounded like his eardrums would burst then Cell materialized before him, his foot stained with oil and blood._

"_Cell!"_

_The fighter tried to snap into stance and power up, but his body wouldn't move. Cell's mouth twisted into an insane grin that distorted his face and the monster android spoke with the voice of another monster, one with gold eyes and pale skin._

"_Yet another fighter you could have saved."_

* * *

"NO!!"

Gohan sat up so fast that he cracked his forehead on his knee. He looked around for Cell, before realizing that he was still at the hotel in the village.

"A-A nightmare?" Sweat dropped into his eyes and the fighter realized that he was drenched. He touched one hand to his face as he tried to calm his racing heart. "But it felt so real."

Some compulsion drove him to his feet and carried him across the hall. Before the Z fighter knew what was happening, his hand was hovering before the door to Sakura's room.

He stopped, shaking his head. "No, I'm being stupid. There's no way she could be hurt. It was just a dream…" But there was a weird feeling in the back of his head that wouldn't leave him alone. "It can't hurt to check right?"

He opened the door a hair and peeked through.

The door flew through the air as Gohan ripped it from its hinges and bolted inside.

"Sakura!!"

She wasn't there. A note lay on her pillow.

"Please be alright," the saiyan prayed as he picked up the note and opened it. It wasn't Sakura's handwriting.

_We have your woman. Come to our hideout. Come alone if you want to see her alive again._

_-Yamabushi Bandits_

Attached to the note was a crudely drawn map. The parchment crinkled as the warrior's fist clenched around it, his eyes smoldering as they turned a hard jade, rage flying through his blood, bringing it to a boil.

He turned on his heel and strode briskly down the hall, the attendants turning to greet him with smiles before they plastered themselves against the wall at the look on his face and the killing intent rolling off him in waves, Gohan's hair beginning to turn gold at the roots, the light color slowly spreading.

"Greeting sir!" The desk manager said, turning from the two women he was helping. Gohan glared at him, making him recoil.

"Did Sakura leave?" he snapped, checking on principal. There was a chance that this wasn't real, though Gohan knew that was a rationalization on his part.

"Sakura-sama? No, Gohan-sama, she didn't. Why?"

The warrior didn't respond, striding towards the door, casting his senses wide, searching for the signature he knew as well as the back of his hand after spending such a long time with her. A second signature intruded, lighting up his sixth sense like a flare.

"OROCHIMARU!!" Gohan shouted, his rage, contained for so long, finally erupting. He'd used these bandit bastards to kidnap Sakura while they slept last night in order to get to Gohan. The utter filthiness of the tactic was what pushed him over the edge.

The lobby was upended as Gohan let out a scream of rage, a gold aura blasting into being around him, his hair flashing gold, the winds tearing into the building, ripping savage gashes in ink paintings, shattering the pots of the potted plants, blowing the double doors that lead outside apart, the pieces flying down the main street of the village.

When it subsided, the Super Saiyan, his hackles raised and his Saiyan heritage screaming for blood and retribution, knelt and blasted straight out the front of the building in a flash of light and wind that shattered the floor, cracked the mahogany and granite check-in desk and filled the room with smoke and dust.

The clerk just stood there, his glasses askew as he turned, twitching back to the two women at the desk.

"N-Now, how may I help you ladies?" He coughed, shaking.

The pig in the arms of the dark-haired woman oinked, the animal clearly dazed.

Shizune turned to her mistress, who looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Tsunade-sama," the kunoichi asked hesitantly. "That boy is going to fight Orochimaru. Are you going to let him go?"

The Shodai's granddaughter huffed. "It's not my problem," the Slug Princess replied. "It's probably a different Orochimaru anyway." She snatched the key from the clerk, who fainted as soon as she did.

"It's not a very common name," the other woman replied, though she said it softly and followed after the second Sannin.

* * *

The two sentries outside the cave that led to the Yamabushi hideout were watching the forest, thinking that Gohan wouldn't arrive for another day at least. The map had been crude and the saiyan boy didn't know the way, so when there was a flash of gold light in the trees that hid the cave from the narrow and winding path that led to the village, the two guards didn't think anything of it. It was probably the sun reflecting off something shiny.

A chirping met their ears.

"Odd bird ain't it?" asked one, look of to the side, where a couple of sparrows were fighting.

"Yeah. Never heard it…be…before." The man went pale.

"Hey!" his buddy called. "What's wrong?" Then he turned and almost fainted dead away on his feet. A boy, with furious jade eyes that seemed to bore right through them, his muscular body outlined in golden flame, his footsteps scraping ominously over the ground, which was strewn with dead leaves and sticks, was approaching them. A gentle breeze reached them as he got closer, but to the two men, it could've been a hurricane.

When he was passing between them was when the snapped into motion.

"Hey! Stop!"

The kid's eyes widened and the two men were blown off their feet as power, raw power, hammered into them like a sledgehammer, blowing them off their feet and sending them tumbling head over heels.

The left one slammed into a tree, his head hitting hard enough to dent the wood and fracture the bark, slumping into unconsciousness. The second man rolled right through a briar bush and his yelps of pain followed Gohan into the cave.

The entrance was a long hallway, strewn with boxes and detritus, lit every couple of feet or so by torches, but it wasn't enough and darkness abounded, though the light cast by Gohan's aura lit everything for a few yards around him. Many gaping holes in the walls led into storerooms and alcoves that had sleeping quarters and other necessities in them, like food and water. One cavern was so massive that the raiders were using it as a stable, the horses in there nickering and neighing with fright as the unnatural feeling of Gohan's rage touched them.

Deliberate footsteps echoed eerily through the whole base as the Super Saiyan walked down the fortress' main hallway. The tunnel finally widened into a space big enough for a large man to stand in.

And stand a large man did.

Ganosuke, his stomach and jaw plastered with gauze and bandages, was waiting for him.

"About damn time. Beginning to think I die of old age before you got here."

"Move."

The word was spoken in a low, silky voice that Gohan had only used when he was _really_ pissed off. It was the commanding tone he'd spoken to Cell and Bojack with when the two villains had threatened the Earth.

Ganosuke grinned, his teeth yellowing and one or two even missing outright. "No can do. I've got orders and they say…"

A hand grabbed his hair and slammed his head into the wall of the room with enough force to embed it in the stone. Ganosuke slumped. Whether or not he was dead didn't matter to Gohan. His only concern was the monster that waited at the end of the passage like a fat spider sitting in the middle of a web.

"When I said move, I meant it."

* * *

Sakura huddled in the main room, trying to make herself as small as possible. She was being held at katana point, with two men on each side of her, their sword edges at her throat, her arms bound in such a way that even a seasoned jounin would have trouble getting themselves loose.

Not that Sakura could escape with Orochimaru right in front of her.

The Sannin was lounging in the chair again and he'd been the first sight she'd seen when she'd awoken and found herself tied up and a hostage. The missing-nin had been crystal clear on his objective.

He'd kidnapped her to draw out Gohan-kun and hopefully enrage him to the point that he couldn't think straight, thereby being easier to capture.

Judging by that hideous crunching noise earlier and the dead silence following it, Orochimaru had succeeded in both endeavors.

"He's coming," Orochimaru said suddenly, his gold eyes burning with anticipation. Sakura knew he was right. There was a massive amount of killing intent in the air and it leaked into the chamber they were in like some kind of foul vapor, making it hard to breath. "He's playing right into my hands, Kunoichi-chan. Do you have any idea what my plans are?"

"How should I know how a sociopath thinks?" Sakura bit out.

The Sannin laughed. "You have spunk. I like that. Hm, I guess I'll explain my objectives to you so when you go screaming to your death, you'll know what you've helped me to obtain. You see, Kunoichi-chan, I am a collector of sorts. I find gifted young people like Sasuke-kun and Gohan-kun and I bring them to my cause."

"So you're a sociopathic pedophile," Sakura snarled, "so what?"

"Your insults are weak, just like you, and in your position, insults are all you have. Do you know what I seek above all else, Kunoichi-chan? Well, I seek immortality." His face lit up with an insane light. "Though it's only a temporary means, I have developed a jutsu that transfers my soul into other bodies, thus allowing me to live forever. That's why I collect gifted warriors, so that I may have the very best body I can get. Sasuke-kun is just one potential candidate and Gohan-kun is fast becoming another favorite of mine."

"You're going to mark him," Sakura breathed, finally realizing why the Sannin was here. "You're going to give him that Cursed Seal!"

"Well, perhaps you have a decent mind after all. Yes, I am going to bestow my seal on Gohan-kun. I find it makes people a bit more…pliable. You should've talked him out of leaving Konoha. In the village, he had ANBU and the jounin corps to protect him. When I learned you left the village, I followed and now, here we are."

The slow tapping of deliberate footsteps reached their ears, growing with each second, right along side the anger that hung in the air like a wet cotton cloth. Orochimaru snapped his fingers and the two Yamabushi charged into the hallway, heading for a faint glow in the distance.

There were twin yelps of pain accompanied by a noise that sounded like bone meeting bone and the two guards flew back into the room fast enough the blow out the fire and send everyone's hair and clothes blowing around when they slammed into the wall on either side of the rawhide chair Orochimaru sat in.

The footsteps reached the chamber and the cavern was lit by a hard gold glow that cast equally hard shadows over everything in the room.

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura cried joyfully, then she stopped short, her eyes widening in horror. Gohan looked odd. He was transformed, so that was certainly a reason, but as much as the brilliant transformation always unnerved Sakura slightly, there'd always been a hint of the normal Gohan in the hard emerald eyes, the hint becoming obvious whenever the Super Saiyan smiled or wasn't about ready to go into combat.

That hint wasn't there now. Gohan's eyes didn't even flick over her to make sure she was okay. He was focused on one thing.

"Orochimaru," he growled, every word singing with rage. "You involved Sakura in this. Never, _EVER_, involve my friends in our battles or you'll regret it."

The snake man looked eager to begin, rising from his chair as if he was a puppet being drawn up on strings. "Oh?" he asked. "And how am I going to regret it?"

Gohan looked him straight in the eye and said the words Sakura never thought she'd ever hear from his mouth.

"I'm going to kill you."

The Sannin burst out laughing, the cold and merciless sound filling the chamber, echoing off the walls and making it seem like there were hundreds of men present, all laughing hysterically. "You? Kill _me?_ Gohan-kun, perhaps you are addled by your anger. You do not possess the power to kill me."

"Then I'll break you. Crush your ego so thoroughly that you'll never want to fight again." Gohan smirked. Arrogantly. Not one of his confident masks that he had used last time to keep the pale man guessing, but a true sneer, one that would put Sasuke at his best to shame with no effort. The Super Saiyan's fingers curled and the air was filled with cracks and pops as Gohan's knuckles popped.

The two warriors began to circle each other, ki and chakra levels soaring through the roof. Orochimaru began to be outlined in a swirling blue vapor while Gohan's aura flared out brighter and wider. Closer they came, moving in an ever-tightening spiral while the killing intent from the two titans filled the cavernous chamber, making the very air seem heavy and humid, unfit for breathing.

A buzzing echoed off the walls as static electricity began sparking between the two combatants as chakra and ki met and clashed, making ethereal wisps of lightning dance between them and ripple up and down their forms. Orochimaru's long hair was beginning to lift from the charge being generated and the ground was cracking beneath them as it was compressed by the power pushing down on it.

The Sannin and the Super Saiyan stopped circling now that they were close enough to strike at any time. Silence, broken only by the crackling of electricity and crumbling of rock, ensued. The electricity began to dance faster and faster as the power in the room climbed higher.

They vanished.

The cave began bursting apart around the three that huddled in the corner. Orochimaru and Gohan were totally invisible as they moved, only illuminated for the briefest of milliseconds when the clashed and Gohan's aura lit them up.

The rawhide chair burst into a million fragments.

Holes appeared in the ceilings and walls.

One appeared right next to Sakura's head, just the right size for a fist and she screamed as she was pelted by pebbles from the impact.

They appeared.

Gohan's fist flashed.

Orochimaru caught it.

Orochimaru's fist flashed.

Gohan caught it.

Stalemate.

The power soared horribly and the stone floor of the cavern just couldn't take it anymore and the two sank out of sight as the solid rock depressed, unable to bear the weight anymore. The crater expanded to encompass the whole space, which was a good three thousand square feet and Sakura felt herself sliding down towards the fighting powerhouses. They were grunting and straining, muscles and veins bulging, teeth bared.

Orochimaru grinned triumphantly as he forced Gohan back, the Super Saiyan's knee hitting the ground hard enough to make it crumble.

Gohan grunted, bowed his head, pushed with all his considerable might, but Orochimaru remained as unmovable as the planet Jupiter. The snake began laughing madly and Gohan met his eyes and let out a yell, his aura flaring even higher. The Sannin's face went from insanely amused to horrified as the younger warrior surged to his feet and pushed Orochimaru backwards. Gohan's arms spread wide, spreading his opponent's as well, leaving the pale man wide open.

The teen leapt and thrust both heels almost straight up. A crunching filled the air and the Sannin was thrown into the ceiling, the entire cave shaking from the impact, stalactites falling from the roof like spears.

Outside, the entire flank of the mountain burst apart in huge explosion, Orochimaru emerging from it, tumbling helplessly. He threw his weight around and managed to get his spinning to stop.

"Incredible," he muttered. "Gohan-kun's power is increasing by the second. Is his power somehow related to the amount of anger he feels?" Gold eyes widened as the Sannin saw a glow shining from the hole he'd made on the way out. "Now what?"

Sakura looked on, horrified, as Gohan thrust his hands forward like he sometimes did, then brought them to his sides. "Ka…me…ha…me…." A blue ball formed in his hands, expanding fast until it was too bright to look at. "HAAAAAA!!"

The attack wasn't a ball like it normally was, it was a river of power that blasted out of the mountain, flashing across the sky towards Orochimaru, who found that he would be unable to avoid it. He crossed his arms to try and take the brunt of the attack. The sky was lit by a white flash that vanished in seconds. A massive explosion rocked the entire mountain and surrounding areas as the Kamehameha exploded in earnest, the white and blue ball of ki pushing the earth and trees beneath it away, sending a shockwave blasting outward, slamming the mountain hard.

Sakura did her best to hide from the ki's fury as it battered and smashed the mountain above her into gravel.

'This is a nightmare,' she thought, trying desperately to convince herself that it was true. 'This is a nightmare. I'm back at the hotel and Gohan-kun is sleeping, not trying to blow up the world.'

Dust fell lightly on her face and she risked a look. She couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her. The mountain above her was simply gone, the monolithic pile of rock looking like someone had taken an ice cream scoop and scooped out over half the mountain. Gohan stood in the middle of it, looking into the sky, which was devoid of any signs of tumbling Sannin.

"Good riddance bastard," he growled when he didn't feel Orochimaru's ki anywhere. He dropped out of Super Saiyan, but the anger in his eyes didn't fade. His hand reached for Sakura, who backed away, pressing herself to the cave that remained behind her. Gohan looked surprised, then hurt, turning downcast eyes on the ground. "Do you…fear me now?" he asked her.

She relaxed just a hair. "What?"

He smiled forlornly. "I don't blame you if you do. I lost myself there. Super Saiyan is a double-edge sword."

"What do you mean?"

"It's an exponential boost in power, but I become much more susceptible to anger and other negative emotions." He looked at his hands as if they'd betrayed him. "I've learned to master it, but that rage, that primal urge to kill is still there." The warrior got behind Sakura and tore the ropes binding her with his bare hands, snapping the cords as if they were nothing but burnt string. The kunoichi stood and turned around.

"So why use it?"

"Because there are people out there that I cannot defeat unless I use it. I had no choice but to…" A presence formed behind him and the saiyan boy spun, but it wasn't fast enough. Pale hands latched on to his shoulders and held him in place. "Damn! I didn't…"

He cried out as fangs sank into his neck and a corrosive, foreign, energy wound its way down his body. The world blurred for Gohan and was replaced by pain and Sakura shouting his name over and over. He hit something hard and in his blurry vision, he noticed that he was laying on his back, a triumphant Orochimaru standing over him, wiping a small trickle of blood from his mouth. Gohan realized that it was probably _his_ blood. The Sannin's mouth moved, but Gohan couldn't hear the words. His vision was filled with pink as Sakura leaned over him.

Something hoisted him up onto his feet, but he couldn't stand and simply leaned against the object supporting him was. Orochimaru replied to something, then threw his head back and laughed. It would've been chilling if Gohan could hear. His neck burned and he yelled out, his free hand flying to the irritation. It got so bad that he couldn't think or feel, his body numb from the fire that ripped through it.

He wanted to pass out, to die, anything to make the pain stop.

He got his wish as the world turned black.

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura screamed as Orochimaru's fangs sank into his neck, blood spraying from the wound. Three marks appeared on his neck. A Cursed Seal. It looked nothing like Sasuke's, which was three comma-like dots. This one looked like raindrops, the tips pointing out from the center and the bulbous heads pointing inwards. Orochimaru released the saiyan, who crashed to the ground, his eyes glazed with pain, his face already turning red with fever.

"Gohan-kun! Gohan-kun! GOHAN-KUN!"

Orochimaru began to laugh, the haunting sound filling the air with malice as he continued on.

"Yes! Gohan-kun is mine! Soon. Soon he will join me and I will have one of the greatest powers in the world at my command. Both Sasuke and Gohan. I will be unstoppable! The entire world is mine for the taking!"

"But how? How did you survive!?" Sakura demanded, glaring at the Sannin but knowing he would crush her if she attacked.

The Sannin grinned, warping his entire face with it. "A simple Kawarimi and Kage Bunshin. Then under the guise of a genjutsu I snuck back here, while Gohan told you of his mysterious transformation. Super Saiyan? It's not a bloodline I've heard of, but I don't mind."

Gohan screamed suddenly, arching as the seal on his neck glowed like fire, his entire body shaking.

"Gohan-kun no!" Sakura pleaded. "Come on. You can beat it." The warrior didn't hear her and he finally, mercifully, passed out, falling silent as he did, though he whimpered every couple of seconds.

"Well. My work here is done. Farewell, Kunoichi-chan. Enjoy you're time with your precious Gohan-kun. He will not be around for long." The snake melted back into the wall, his cackles filling the air long after he departed.

Sakura floundered, not knowing what to do, her hands fluttering as she tried to figure out how to make Gohan's pain easier.

"Hello?" A voice called. Sakura whirled as a woman with dark hair and blue robes appeared in the shattered remains of the entrance tunnel. "Is anyone still alive here?"

"Over here!" Sakura shouted. The woman noticed her, then sighted Gohan and the black blemish standing out on his skin.

"Oh my God." The woman breathed as she darted over, moving with a grace and poise that only a shinobi could have. "Damn, I'm too late."

"Who are you?" Sakura asked, stunned as the woman pushed her aside and knelt at Gohan's side, her hand glowing with a green vapor as she moved over the unconscious Saiyan's body.

"Call me Shizune. I'm a Konoha-nin, just like you and this guy." She'd obviously seen the hirai-ates tied around Sakura's head and Gohan's waist. "Damn. I can't stop it." Shizune hefted the warrior up in a fireman's carry. "Come on, we have to get him back to Tsunade-sama. She's the only one who can help him at this point."

Shizune vanished and Sakura jumped before darting after her, heading for the village. Just in time too, as the mountain trembled, cracking, then collapsed in a heap of rushing smoke and chunks of rock.

* * *

"Well I can't help," the Slug Princess huffed as she looked over the battered boy stretched out on the futon. Sakura and Shizune had broken all speed records on their way back to the village. "The seal's too far along to stop and I don't know how to seal it away."

"But Kakashi-sensei did it!" Sakura protested. "Can't you?"

Tsunade huffed. "Kakashi might've been able to do it, but I don't know the jutsu for it. I'm a medic, not a seal master. You have to take him back to Konoha if you want help. That old fart Hokage and Kakashi are the only two who can help."

"Well then I'll do it!" said Sakura. She scooped Gohan up and dashed for the door, moving faster than she'd ever been able to, even with the accursed weights on. In the excitement of the last few hours, she'd forgotten all about them and she hardly felt them anymore.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Shizune asked. "If he wakes up…" She didn't finish.

Tsunade shrugged. "Not my problem anymore. Now come on. We've got to get to Tanzaku soon. I'm feeling that itch again."

"Tsunade-sama," her assistant sighed, but she followed the other medic from the village.

Sakura bolted up the road, bowling over other pedestrians in her mad rush to get back to Konoha.

'I have to make it. I just have to.' She thought desperately. 'I'm not letting Gohan-kun get disqualified like Sasuke did.' The kunoichi, in her rush, didn't notice that she'd omitted the –kun from Sasuke's name.

* * *

Close to a week later, the gate guards at Konoha were astonished when a sweaty and dirty Sakura arrived at the village's entrance, Gohan still out cold on her back, though his condition had improved drastically over the past day or two. She'd been running nonstop from the village where Gohan had been marked, eating only rations on the fly.

"H-Help him."

She fainted as the exhaustion of getting back without rest finally caught up with her.

"Medic!" one of the guards shouted as his partner dashed forward to check on the two unconscious teens.

* * *

Gohan finally awakened and found himself in the hospital.

"Where?"

"Damn!" shouted someone in the room as whoever they were jumped. When Gohan's vision finally cleared enough, he noticed that it was Kakashi, who looked rather tense, his hand in his kunai pouch, his Sharingan spinning. The jounin relaxed somewhat when he finally decided that Gohan wasn't going to go nuts like Sasuke did.

"So, you're finally awake?" Asked a second voice.

"Sarutobi…-san? How'd I get…"

"Sakura-san has a constitution and determination that matches yours," the Sandaime explained. "She carried you for a week without rest and with her weights on all the way from the village where you were staying."

"Sakura did?" the saiyan sat bolt upright, clutching at his neck as something there seared like fire. "Ugh."

"Easy," Kakashi told him. "You've been marked with Cursed Seal and it reacts to changes in its bearer's chakra."

"But I don't have chakra."

"We think," the Third said, "that ki and chakra are close enough for the seal to work on both types of users."

"So why am I not going nuts like Sasuke did?" Gohan asked.

"No idea," Kakashi replied. The Hokage, though, looked thoughtful.

"I suppose it's your pure heart. Sasuke, filled as he is with rage and a thirst for power and vengeance, is more prone to the Seal's effects than you are. Should you transform, I daresay that will change, but for now, you seem to be fairly resistant to the emotional side-effects."

"So I can't go Super Saiyan anymore?" Gohan asked, looking rather nervous at that prospect. Losing the transformation again would be like losing a limb since he relied on it so much. That use would only increase as Orochimaru had now deemed him a target.

"Once the appropriate measures are taken," the Hokage answered, "you won't have to worry."

"Appropriate measures?"

"Kakashi?"

"Right. Well, there's a way to seal away the Cursed Seal's effects. If you're ready, we can go do it right now."

"Let's go!"

Kakashi's eye curled as he pulled his hirai-ate back into position. "Fine then."

Gohan followed after the jounin, supported by Sarutobi, who looked rather concerned for the boy. They arrived at a room that when it was opened revealed that the interior was filled with a massive seal, inked out on the ground.

"Some kind of ritual?" Gohan asked.

"Sort of," Kakashi answered as he slit one of his fingers and began inking out characters onto the floor. "Now if you would take your gi top off and sit in the middle."

Gohan complied, shivering in the chill air of the dark room. He shuddered as Kakashi's bloody fingers trailed over his back and front, surrounding the seal on his neck with blood.

"All set. You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Well, here we go." The sound of leather on leather whispered through the air as Kakashi's hands folded together in a seal sequence. His hand slammed down on Gohan's shoulder, right over the seal. "Fuuja Houin!"

Gohan cried out as the area burned, the bloody letters on ground coming to life and snaking their way up his body. Just as quickly as it'd come, the pain was gone and Gohan craned his neck to see the three raindrops of his seal outlined in a squiggly pattern that he really had no words to describe.

"That's that," Kakashi sighed, dusting off his hands. "That secondary seal will keep the Cursed Mark in check. However, the Fuuja Houin draws its strength directly from you."

"What do you mean?"

A new loud voice cut in. "He means, Kid, that you have to have the emotional control and the willpower to not use the seal. If that ever lapses, for whatever reason, the seal will reactivate and you'll have a big problem on your hands."

The speaker was a tall man with long white hair, red marks under his eyes and a hirai-ate with the symbol for oil on it. He was dressed in a green gi with a red haori over it that had two yellow circles on each side. A scroll that reminded Gohan of Tenten's was tied to his back and he wore traditional clogs on his feet.

"Ah, Gohan-kun, meet Jiraiya, one of my students from many years ago. He's one of the Sannin."

"So you're the legendary Gohan I've heard so much about huh?" the man asked.

"You know me?"

"No, but I've heard of you. My apprentice won't shut up about you. The way he goes on, you'd think you two were brothers or something."

"Who's your…"

"GOHAN!"

He was tackled from out of nowhere by a flying orange blur.

"N-Naruto?"

"Hey you're back! And you're okay! Sakura-chan said that you were injured or something by that snake freak!"

"I'm fine," Gohan answered as he hurried to pull up his gi and cover the curse mark. Now the kid voiced a suspicion that he had in the back of his mind. "Am I disqualified from the Third Exam?" he asked.

"Not at all," the Sandaime answered. "You see, with Sasuke we had no choice because we didn't have the time to deal with the threat. The Third Exam isn't until next week and now that the mark has been dealt with, it should pose no threat. I see no reason to disqualify you. Unless you want to deprive Lee-san of a spar that he's been dreaming of for almost a month now?"

"Is he excited?" Gohan asked.

The Hokage and Kakashi traded looks. "I don't think excited is the right word for it," Kakashi answered, looking rather unnerved.

* * *

On the other side of the village, Lee stood on his hands, running for all he was worth. He'd been at it since before dawn and it was only the beginning of his fierce training schedule for that day.

"Only another week is left!" The boy shouted as he left a trail of rising dust behind him and dazed civilians looking at him like he'd gone nuts. "Soon Gohan-kun and I shall have a spar that the village will never forget!"

The people who heard him privately hoped that whoever this Gohan was, he would be tough enough to stand up to this crazy beanpole.

* * *

"Uh hey," Gohan said looking around. "Where's Sakura?"

The three elder men traded knowing looks.

"She's at one of the training grounds I believe," Sarutobi said. "You chose a very dedicated student. Even without you to guide her, she's never once stopped training."

"And what kind of sensei lets his student practice alone?" Gohan asked, standing and rushing out the door, the stagger in his gait quickly vanishing. "See you later!"

"Well he recovered fast," Jiraiya remarked.

"He's known for it," Kakashi replied, leaving as well. "If you get to know him, you'll see what I mean."

* * *

Gohan dashed through the streets of Konoha, homing in on Sakura's ki. She was in the training ground that Team Seven always like to use, the one where they had taken their bell test. The pink-haired kunoichi turned at the sound of his footsteps and didn't even let Gohan get one word out before she'd cried out in happiness and hugged him tightly.

"You're alright! You're alright," She whispered against his chest over and over again.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Kakashi took care of the seal, so you don't need to worry."

Sakura clung to him even tighter, tears soaking the black-haired teen's gi. "I'm sorry I was so useless," she sobbed. "I-I couldn't do anything to protect you!"

"What could you have done?" Gohan asked gently. "Orochimaru would've killed you and you know it. You did enough just getting me back to Konoha." Sakura finally released him and stepped back, wiping her eyes. "Thanks, Sakura."

"Really?"

"Yeah! How many kunoichi do you know would be able to get back here in a week with weights on and lugging my butt halfway across the country?"

The kunoichi giggled weakly. "Not many I guess."

"Right. Now come on. We've only go a week left before the exams start and I need to get you ready for Temari!" The two spent the rest of the week training, and before either knew it, at long last, it was time for the Third Exam to start.

* * *

_Runs like hell_

Don't worry! I marked Gohan for a reason and something good will come out of this, trust me. I'm not going to say too much about it, but if you think about the Cursed Seal's effects and Gohan's trouble with his transformations, you should be able to figure it out. And no, it's not the effect you're thinking of either. One of its lesser known ones. So anyway, I think that about does it. See you next time! 

_Runs even faster_

**Glossary**

**Fuuja Houin (Evil Sealing Method): **The jutsu developed to seal away the Cursed Seal for as long as the user has the willpower to resist the temptation to use the Mark.


	17. Let the Third Exam Begin!

Disclaimer: Own nothing

Last time: Gohan gets marked with a Cursed Seal.

This time: The Third Exam begins!

* * *

The day of the exam dawned bright, crisp and clear, and there was an unmistakable air of anticipation in the village as foreigners, shinobi, and civilian alike, moved through the streets of the suddenly filled to bursting Konohagakure. Gohan and Naruto had been up since the sun had risen, getting ready, showering, eating, checking equipment and getting set for the Third Exam. The exam wasn't going to start until noon, so they spent the morning wandering around the village, talking about random things like what training they'd been doing for the last month.

Gohan had been most intrigued to hear Naruto hint about some new power of his that would hopefully put the blond on par with him. Gohan didn't believe it at first, but after a while of thinking about it, he realized that Naruto was unpredictable enough for the claim to be perfectly plausible.

All too soon, the morning was gone and the contestants were gathering at the entrance to the arena where they would be fighting. It was an enormous coliseum, with enough seats for thousands of people, huge walls to contain any sort of jutsu a genin might be able to field, a special deck for the Kages themselves and a box inset into one of the walls around halfway up for the participants in the exam. The floor was just as impressive. It was like a training ground had been built in the center of Konoha, with vegetation for concealment ringing the oval floor, which was just dirt. If one had felt so inclined, a few taps would've revealed that it was indeed the real ground and not something covered by a thin layer of soil.

Gohan glanced around at the other participants in the exam. Neji was looking bored with the whole affair, as if the entire thing was beneath his notice. Naruto was standing right next to the saiyan warrior and it was oblivious that he was thinking about the prelims and what Neji had done to Hinata by the way his clear cerulean eyes kept wandering over to the stoic genius and his right fist kept clenching and unclenching.

Next to Neji was Lee, and the spandex-clad shinobi looked eager to get on with the show, since he was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet and every now and again he made some weird movements with his hands that Gohan recognized as muted rehearsals of various blocks, strikes, and deflections. Next to Lee was Naruto, then Gohan, who was actually looking forwards to his match with Lee, and he was doing some basic stretches to warm up for the match.

Sakura was next to Gohan on his right and she didn't look so good. As per her promise, her weights were still on, but she kept plucking at the top clasp of the vest as if she wanted to take it off, her emerald eyes on the ground and her face pale, making her light hair seem dark by comparison.

Temari, Kankuro, Shino, and Shikamaru all seemed to be rather unruffled by the whole affair.

"Hey, isn't there supposed to be someone else here?" Gohan asked at large.

"Yeah, what happened to that sound guy?" Sakura replied.

The new proctor, Genma, cleared his throat, the senbon in his mouth wobbling dangerously. "Abumi Zaku has been disqualified for attempting to kill Nara Shikamaru in an effort to make the exam easier for himself. The ANBU apprehended Abumi after Nara's father trapped him with the Kage Mane no Jutsu. As such, Abumi is in the hands of ANBU and Nara Shikamaru has automatically advanced to the next round."

Gohan blinked then nodded, deciding that one less person in a tournament didn't really make all that much difference in the big scheme of things.

Genma raised his voice in order to be heard. "Now! Let the Final Chuunin Exam begin! First match! Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji!" Cheers erupted from the stands as people began to cheer for Naruto or Neji, though a few people noted that most of the cheers were for Neji. The rest of the contestants cleared off to the booth that was set into the wall. Once they were all there, Naruto and Neji stepped forward to within a few feet of each other, glaring at each other, though in the Hyuuga's case it was more of a superior sneer.

"I'm gonna kick your ass for what you did to Hinata-chan!" Naruto growled.

Neji smirked. "You are going to lose this battle, so why even bother trying to fight."

"How are you so sure?"

"Easy. You were fated to lose the moment you drew your lot last month."

"Keh. I'll show you you stuck up bastard!" Naruto shouted as Genma's hand dropped. The blond shot backward, scooped three shuriken from his holster and hurled them. Neji snatched one from the air as he dodged the other two then whipped the weapon back at Naruto who was in the middle of charging.

The shuriken struck home and Naruto popped in a puff of shinobi smoke.

"Kage Bunshin?" Neji asked himself, not surprised but certainly annoyed. The Kage Bunshin was unique because it created a clone capable of attacking and at the same time, the chakra of the user was distributed evenly so even the Byakugan or its lesser cousin the Sharingan were unable to tell the copies from the original. "You'll need to do better than that."

Neji's arms shot back, catching the two fists approaching him from behind and locking the wrists. The two Narutos sailed on past then Neji jerked, altering their momentum so that the two slammed together and exploded. Neji jumped, kicking off the skull of another Naruto that also exploded then spun in mid-flight, his arms and legs flashing as he struck down Bunshin after Bunshin, which were appearing as fast as Naruto could make them.

"Wow," Sakura marveled from up in the booth, where she was leaning against the rail next to Gohan. The saiyan in turn was watching both fighters like a hawk. He knew that whoever won this match he would end up fighting if he didn't lose to Lee. "Naruto's doing pretty well."

"He's not doing too bad," Gohan agreed, "but what I want to know is how Neji can see Naruto's clones coming at him from behind."

"It's the Byakugan," Shikamaru jumped in as he leaned against the wall. "One of it's abilities is close to three-hundred-sixty degree vision."

"What?" The other two exclaimed together, looking in shock at Shikamaru, who looked unruffled as Naruto took a bad hit below and was thrown away from Neji. Neji spouted off something about fate, right before a clone Neji missed launched itself at the genius, drawing back for a right hook that would've broken the Hyuuga's jaw if it'd hit.

"Huh?" Naruto asked as the clone Neji thought was the real one burst into smoke, though that wasn't the reason Naruto was puzzled. The real reason was that his punch had been stopped cold by something. It was like running into a brick wall except without the pain of your hand shattering.

Neji smiled nastily then began to spin like a top. "Hakkeshou Kaiten!" Naruto shouted out in pain before being thrown for real, tumbling head over heels into a tree, the trunk snapping like a twig and keeling over sideways, thankfully missing the dazed blond beneath it.

"Now what?" Sakura wondered as she noticed Naruto wobbling up to his feet and shaking his head like a dog shaking off water before glaring at Neji and launching himself back into the fight. "What technique was that?"

"Kaiten," Lee replied, looking rather serious for the first time the kunoichi was able to remember. "It's much like Gaara's sand. It's an absolute defense that throws the attacker's force right back at him while the charka adds in additional damage."

"So it's not to be taken lightly," Gohan summarized.

"Indeed. Underestimating the Hyuuga can prove to be very fatal."

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura prodded.

The taijutsu master looked pensive for a moment before he answered. "Hyuuga use a style of fighting called Juuken. It's a style that instead of breaking bones and limbs, like Gai-sensei and I do, it attacks the inner organs and chakra network directly."

"And no matter how hard you train, you can never toughen your internal organs," Gohan finished. "This guy could, in theory, take out anyone." Lee nodded.

"Rokujuuyonshou!"

All attention was on the ring again as Naruto was thrown again, hard, into the ground, skidding for a few feet before standing up. Neji smirked. "It's over," the genius said coldly. "I've totally shut down your chakra network. You have nothing left. No clones, no chakra, not even the Kawarimi. Give up. You were fated to this the moment you drew that number two in the Second Exam."

Naruto climbed painfully to his feet, heaving huge gulps of breath. That bastard had a point, the blond realized. He didn't have anything. The shinobi couldn't even feel his chakra circulating through his system anymore. That Neji bastard had done as he said and totally shut off Naruto's access to his chakra.

'Oh great. How am I supposed to fight now?' The blond wondered. 'I have nothing left! All that damned Ero-sennin taught me was how to use Kuchiyose no Jutsu and how to use the stupid fox's chakra…' Naruto kept wondering about how he was going to win for a moment then stopped up short. 'Wait! That's it!'

* * *

"It's over," Lee said sadly as he watched Naruto close his eyes, as if meditating. "Naruto-kun uses his chakra for every battle. To not have it anymore…There's nothing more he can do."

Gohan frowned as he watched his roommate make a hand seal and snap his eyes open. Even from where he was, the saiyan warrior could see the blonde's determination and even more profound was the feel Gohan was getting from him. There was a stirring within Naruto. Something was coming. Naruto was drawing at that greater, darker, power Gohan had felt within him when they'd first met and it was even more ominous than he'd ever dreamed.

Neji noticed. "What are you trying to do loser?" he asked. "You have no chakra to draw on. You might as well be trying to find water in the middle of the desert."

"He's right," Sakura said worriedly. Her concern for the blond was evident on her face. "Naruto has nothing."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Shika answered.

"Huh?"

The corner of the lazy genin's mouth curled as a ring of dust began to form around Naruto's feet and the feeling of greater power filled the air, shocking all those who could sense it. "Even in the desert, you can find water if you know where to look."

* * *

Red chakra burst into being around the blond, whose wounds hissed and began to close and heal with small spurts of steam. The chakra sprayed outward, sweeping across the floor of the arena and forcing Neji to shield his eyes or risk losing them from the rocks in the air.

'What is this power?' the genius asked. 'I sealed off his chakra coils, I'm sure of it!' The dust began to settle and the chakra began to swirl upwards, making a low whispering noise, like a pair of athletic pants rubbing against one another, the swirls looking like tentacles or tails as they spiraled even higher, seeming to pass the pinnacle of the Kage's box. Neji almost shouted as his Byakugan saw the chakra in Naruto's stomach swirl into the shape of a snarling fox head.

"What is he!?"

The chakra began to cling to Naruto and form a second skin over him. As if responding to Neji's thought about a fox, the chakra took on a vague outline of that very animal. There was even a partly formed tail swinging in the breeze behind the blond Jinchuuriki.

Naruto's eyes, red with slightly slitted pupils, bored down on Neji. "Now I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to Hinata-chan!"

Then he vanished.

"Fast!" Lee, Sakura, and Gohan shouted together. For the barest of instants, even Gohan had had a hard time tracking the other boy's movements since he wasn't ready for them.

Neji threw himself backwards, Naruto's chakra-shrouded fist slamming to earth right where he'd been just an instant before. A claw erupted from the ground beneath the genius, who began spinning.

"Kaiten!"

The claw shattered and when Neji stopped spinning, his pale eyes widened as he found Naruto right on top of him with a kunai in his hand. Neji almost didn't get his own out in time and he stopped Naruto's slash, the force of the blow ringing up his arm and making the Hyuuga's teeth rattle.

Naruto let out a yell as he drew even more power from _somewhere_ and pushed Neji back, making the genius' feet skid helplessly over the earthen floor of the arena. The Hyuuga gritted his teeth as he tried in vain to stop his helpless sliding, but it wasn't enough and he hit the wall of the stadium with enough force to crack it beneath him.

Naruto, who'd pushed away at the last second, completed his flip and landed lightly on his feet, a grin on his face as he looked at one of his red fists.

'I could get used to this,' he thought. 'It's like Gohan's Super watchamacallit.' He raised that one fist at Neji, whose eyebrow lifted, then the lavender eyes narrowed as Naruto's thumb pointed downward.

"Don't get cocky bastard!" the genius shouted as he sprinted at Naruto, his hands positioning for another Juuken strike. Naruto's foot twisted slightly and he fazed out. "What!?"

He threw his body into an airborne spiral, feeling the hot youki of Naruto's body narrowly miss scorching his back. 'Since when does chakra have a temperature?' Neji's foot came scything around and slammed into the back of Naruto's neck, throwing the younger genin forward and making him tumble head over heels. It wasn't enough and Naruto hopped up before he'd gone more than nine or ten feet.

"Is that all?" he asked cracking his neck with a cocky grin. He felt almost invincible with this power flooding his system. Neji was moving slower, his attacks hurt less, and he didn't seem as all-powerful as he'd seemed just a few minutes ago. "Some genius."

"Don't get cocky Naruto," Gohan whispered.

"Go Naruto!" Sakura screamed. "Kick his ass!"

Naruto nodded and winked out again. This time, Gohan didn't miss the blonde's movements as he shot at Neji, stopped, shot around him in a circle, then came at him from behind. To Gohan's great surprise, Neji acted like he didn't see the blond until the last second, at which time he dropped and rolled, missing Naruto's outstretched hand and the foot that followed it. As Naruto touched down, off balance, Neji shot in, fingers darting forward, striking Naruto at the base of the neck.

Naruto staggered, fell to one knee, then wobbled upright again.

"Impossible!" Neji shouted. "You should be unconscious!"

"Did that weird chakra protect him?" Sakura asked, looking at the three boys next to her.

"Looks that way," Shika answered, for once in his life looking alert and ready. "I haven't been able to see the last three or four moves though."

Down on the floor, Neji was looking tense as Naruto cracked his knuckles

Neji scowled. "I don't know what in the hell you are," he growled as he pulled out a kunai. "But fate will not allow me to lose this match!"

Naruto pulled out another knife of his own. "Are you still going on about that fate bullshit?" He asked. "Grow up! Fate is only for losers who're too damn lazy to do anything to change it!"

"What was that?" Neji snarled. "What would you know? Do you have any idea what it's like to be branded with a mark that you cannot erase!?"

Naruto frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Neji tore off his hirai-ate and showed Naruto the green swastika on his forehead. "This! This is what I mean!" Neji shouted, his eyes shining with something that might have been tears. "Do you know the pain, the _suffering_ of being branded with something like this!? Something that exiles you from the rest of the world!?"

Naruto's head bowed. Neji smiled triumphantly as he replaced the small piece of armor to its proper position. "You can never understand."

"You're wrong."

"What?"

"I can understand. I know what it's like. The pain, the suffering of being branded and treated like trash. I understand your position better than anyone. Believe me when I say that."

"You bastar…"

"But so what?" Naruto interrupted, his voice back to its usual determined pitch, his head coming up, and the determination in his eyes as clear as ever, even with the unnatural crimson color. "The way I see it you can do nothing and whine like a little baby or you can grow some balls and _do _something about it!"

"Naruto…" Sakura murmured, wondering what the blond could be talking about. Sure he'd never had any friends, but he'd always been so upbeat about it. To think that he'd been so lonely, it was almost too much to think about. Unless she had never seen him on that swing outside the Academy looking like a kicked puppy on more days than she cared to count, she wouldn't have believe what the blond had been saying just now.

Neji made a noise like a cobra hissing. "You actually believe you can understand!? How would someone like you know _anything_!?" He was getting angrier by the second. "Because my clan is fated to be the way it is, I lost my father! And I won't be the only one!"

"So change it," Naruto shouted back, the red chakra around him flaring ever higher as it fed off his emotions. The tail behind him was looking more complete and his eyes were now noticeably slitted. "If you don't like the way something is, then you change it!"

"Shut up!" Neji howled. "One more word, bastard, one more word about it, and I swear I'll kill you! You have no right to talk about what you do not understand! Even if you could possibly comprehend what I have to go through, there's nothing you could do about it! No one can do a thing about it, because that's the way fate has cast its dice!"

"So I'll become Hokage and change it! If you're not willing to do something about it, then I will!"

Neji seemed to regain his head. "What could you do? No one can change. No one. Not you, not me, not the Hokage. Once you're fated to do something, that's it, you cannot resist it." The Hyuuga raised his kunai, glaring at Naruto. "Now, how about we finish this and I can hand you your destiny."

"Heh," Naruto snorted. "Finally we agree on something. Come on bastard, let's finish this and I can show you that destiny is just a load of bullshit."

Blue light began to swirl around Neji as the genius' chakra reached its greatest limit. Naruto's crimson chakra began to spiral higher as well, the tail finally fully forming and the chakra coming to a boil as a pair of fox ears formed on either side of the blonde's head.

"Proctor," Neji called to Genma. "I suggest you call a mortician, because I'm going to kill him."

The jounin shrugged. "Do what you want," he replied. Naruto didn't seem fazed by Neji's declaration.

"Like you could kill me," he scoffed.

The sound of Neji's skin tightening against the metal handle of the kunai was audible to Genma and Naruto as they watched a series of emotions flash across the genius' face before it was all swallowed by rage.

Without warning, Neji charged, the chakra streaming behind him as ghostly wisps. Naruto didn't waste a second, mimicking Neji and charging headlong at the Hyuuga prodigy.

With a pair of yells, they slammed together like runaway freight trains, a blue and crimson dome of chakra forming around them, spinning like a tornado before turning purple and exploding.

* * *

"Was that Naruto?" Sakura asked as two streaks shot out of the cloud and slammed into the walls, shaking the entire stadium from the impacts and jostling the participants in their booth while the floor filled with even more smoke, dust, and haze. "Since when did Naruto have that kind of power?" She looked at Gohan. "Just what kind of training did he do!?"

"I don't know," the other answered, "but whatever it was, it paid off big time."

"Do you think he's on par with you?"

"Not as a full power Super Saiyan, but he would definitely force me to transform if I wanted to stay level."

"So what you're saying is that Naruto, when he's using that weird chakra, is even more powerful than you, Gohan-kun?" Lee asked, looking skeptical. After all, the boy next to him had fought a demon and won.

"As I am now, yes, but after transforming I would pull past him. Even then, I think it would take around half of the transformation's power boost to pass him."

Shika whistled. "Damn. Who would've thought Dead Last Uzumaki had this kind of potential?"

* * *

The smoke cleared and in each end of the arena was a spiderweb of cracks that made a depression around as high as a tree, in the middle of which was a hole around as high as Neji or Naruto themselves. It was a testament to just how hard the two had been thrown when they'd collided.

There was a cracking noise and Neji's hand shot out, grabbed the edge of the hole and pulled himself free, pieces of rock and concrete falling off his shoulders. The genius ceritanly looked worse for wear. His hirai-ate hung askew, allowing for a faint glimpse of the seal on his forehead. Blood ran down the right side of his face, forcing him to partially close that eye to keep it clear. His left shoulder was mangled with small spikes of rock sticking out of the shoulder, pinning his shirt to him, which would've fallen off since the right shoulder was just gone, and staining the area red while small crimson rivers ran down his arm and dripped to the ground. His right arm was almost as bad, but there only seemed to be one wound on it, though it was deep, and that arm was still workable.

The Hyuuga used it to hold his left immobile as he shuffled forward one painful step at a time, his breath and pounding heart the only things that filled his wavering vision. He hissed slightly as he put weight on his right leg, but ignored it and limped forward, trying to walk upright and confident, but it just wasn't happening. He slumped like a huge weight was on his shoulders and the world swam in and out of focus, the madly whispering crowd nothing but muted background noise in his cotton-filled hearing.

'At least the Dead Last has to be in worse shape than I am,' floated across his wandering mind, which made Neji frown. He needed a clear head to continue.

"Probably a concussion," he muttered to himself as he finally limped to a halt in front of Naruto's crater. He was right. The orange-clad genin was in a worse shape. Neji could just see the outline of Naruto's right hand above his head, jammed sideways in the crater as he was, bent at an odd angle. That was a broken arm, maybe compound breaks if Neji was destined to be that fortunate. Naruto's clothes were torn to shreds, revealing patches of skin scraped raw and bloody, with burns from that weird chakra discoloring it. His left ankle was bent at a weird angle as well.

'Broken at the very least. Maybe a sprain if fate decides to favor him.'

Blood coated the blonde's face, the source somewhere above Naruto's hairline, which meant that his once flaxen hair was turning a bright crimson closer to the source and it was already turning a dark and dirty brown farther out. To make a long story short, Neji decided, he'd definitely gotten off better than the blond had.

Neji sighed, wincing as a couple of heretofore undetected bruised ribs made their presence known to him as his adrenalin ebbed. "Sorry Dead Last," he grunted, addressing the unconscious genin in front of him, "but this is reality. You fought hard, and almost had me, but in the end, destiny and fate are absolutely inescapable. Maybe now you'll realize…"

Naruto exploded in a burst of smoke, but before Neji could do more than process what had just happened, the ground beneath him exploded, a pair of hands seized his ankles and held him fast while a shadow shot from beneath him, rebounded off the top of the crater, making it give way, and shot at the Hyuuga, who was too stunned to move, not that he could've dodged in his position anyway.

A fist slammed into his face, knocking his loosened hirai-ate off, and Neji cried out as he felt his nose explode under the shadow's fist, the world vanishing as a white light burst out from behind Neji's eyes. Then next thing he knew, Neji was on his back, his hirai-ate clinking as it hit the ground next to him and Naruto was looming over him. A second Naruto was extracting itself from the ground and once he was free, that Naruto fell over onto all fours, totally out of breath as the first vanished in a puff of smoke.

"A…clone!?" Neji asked thickly past the new blood oozing down his face and getting in his mouth. "He still had…that…much chakra left?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered as he stood up and wobbled dangerously, like a toddler trying its first steps, "I did, and now I've got nothing. So you'd better stay the hell down there."

Neji allowed his head to tip sideways. "Keh, I'm such a fool. I should've known it would be a Kage Bunshin. After all, that's your best technique." He smiled bitterly. "Fate has made me its favorite plaything."

"Are you still going on about that?" Naruto asked, clearly angry but not having the energy to get the emotion into his voice.

"People cannot change," Neji stated. "That is one of this world's absolute truths."

"You dumbass. Let me tell you something. I…was the worst student in my year. I failed the graduation exam three times before I managed to pass. I kept failing because there was always this one jutsu that I could never get the hang of."

Despite himself, Neji found himself listening to the blond above him. He even surprised himself when his mouth asked, seemingly of its own volition, "And that jutsu was?"

Naruto's mouth tugged up in a feeble attempt at his megawatt fox grin. "Bunshin no Jutsu. It was my worst technique, but something just wouldn't let me stop until I got it down. And now look, I can make Kage Bunshins with no problem." He paused to heave a few breaths. "So don't give me that bullshit about destiny and stuff. Anyone can change, I can become Hokage." That was a reference to earlier in the match when Neji had mocked his dream while Gohan and the rest had been talking. "And you can change the Hyuuga clan."

"How can you be so sure?" The immobile genius asked, trying to ignore the shoot of hope in his chest. Maybe this dumbass had a point. Maybe he could really break free of his cage and learn to fly.

"Because," Naruto answered simply, "unlike me, you're not the Dead Last."

Genma smiled as he raised his hand. Neji had underestimated the sheer determination, willpower, and chakra Naruto possessed and it'd cost him. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!"

The crowd went wild as medic-nins ran onto the field, scooped up the fallen Hyuuga prodigy, and carted him off to the medical center that was integrated with the stadium. Naruto grinned weakly as he watched the prodigy with the stick up his ass get carted off, then allowed the darkness that'd been coming over him to swallow him up.

He didn't feel it when he hit the ground.

"A splendid match, wouldn't you say!?" Lee bellowed as a medic rushed out, picked up Naruto's limp form, and carted him off. The taijutsu master got tears in his eyes. "And now it's my turn to show the world what I can do! Watch me Gai-sensei!" With that, he leapt over the rail, dropped easily to the floor below, then sprinted over to Genma and began bouncing around, throwing kicks and punches, much to the delight of the spectators, who began hooting and hollering with abandon, egging him on.

"Well, he's psyched up and ready to go," Sakura deadpanned, one eyebrow twitching.

"I can't blame him," Gohan answered with a small chuckle. "I'm kind of looking forward to this myself." Before the kunoichi could answer, he was over the rail and next to Genma, limbering up somewhat before the fight began.

The proctor stepped up. "Ready?" he asked. Gohan stood from the leg stretch he'd been doing and Lee managed to stand still for more than a few seconds. Both nodded seriously, though the anticipation in both parties was obvious. "Then begin!"

The jounin moved back fast, expecting an opening that was even more furious than what'd happened with Neji and Naruto, but it didn't happen. Instead, Lee dropped to the ground with a huff.

"What's he doing?" Sakura asked no one. No one had an answer.

"Please wait one moment, Gohan-kun," Lee told his opponent as he pulled up one of his orange legwarmers. Hidden beneath the gaudy cloth, wrapping around his entire lower leg, was a band of weights. "I must remove these so I may fight you to my fullest!" Within seconds, that one was off and the process had been repeated with the other leg. The taijutsu user threw a few happy kicks and a few audience members leaned forwards, almost drooling, as they realized that Lee's kicks were suddenly many times faster.

"Well," Gohan said, impressed, "looks like you haven't been wasting your time this last month."

"Oh no, Gohan-kun!" Lee answered energetically. "I have increased my training regimen by several times!"

"Sounds intense."

"Indeed! But I never quit and now I am positive that you will be hard pressed to stop me!" The energetic genin held out his hand. "May the best martial artist win, Gohan-kun!"

Gohan grinned as he grasped the other boy's hand. The moment they released, they vanished.

The crowd went dead quiet as they beheld the speed of two taijutsu masters. Gohan and Lee were bouncing all over the arena at speeds that were almost unheard of and totally invisible to all but the strongest of shinobi.

* * *

"Unreal. First Naruto and his crazy chakra, now Gohan and Lee and their inhuman speed," Shikamaru said as he reassessed his first impression of Lee. The genius' first impression of the bushy browed genin had been lacking to say the least. At least part of that was personal bias on Shika's part, since the spandex-clad genin had beaten Chouji in the prelims, but after seeing Lee go toe to toe with Gohan and actually hold his own, for the time being at least, it was clear that Chouji didn't need to be ashamed of his loss.

The lazy shinobi looked over at Sakura. "Sakura just what did Gohan…" He stopped cold. Sakura wasn't even paying attention to him. She was watching the floor of the arena below, which to Shika looked to be empty except for the brief puffs where the fighting boy's feet pushed off and the plumes that rose up as they collided. But Sakura was clearly different. Her emerald eyes were shifting back and forth, up and down so fast that they were almost a blur and every now and again she would turn her head a slight fraction as she followed the action down below. "Sakura?"

No response.

"Sakura!"

She snapped out of whatever trance she was in. "Huh? What's up Shika?"

"Can you see what's going on down there?"

The kunoichi shrugged. "Sort of. Most of it's just a bunch of blurs, but I can catch a flash of a face or fist every now and again."

"Really?" Privately, Shika reevaluated Sakura as well. He knew he'd been training with Gohan, but up till now he'd been unsure of the results. It was apparent to him now that Sakura, who was once considered the weakest of the Rookie Nine. Now it seemed that she'd given that spot to him. No, make that Ino. At least Shika had Kage Mane to fall back on. Ino's Shintenshin was slow and needed his help to work. Sakura would be a force to be reckoned with in the future. "I can't see anything."

"Well that's because you're using your eyes," Sakura told him, going back to watching the match. "Well, using them too much anyway. If you want to see what's going on, then relax and let your instincts and other senses take over." She said that with a tone that told Shika that she'd been told that a lot during the last month or so she'd been training with the saiyan boy.

Despite his dislike at being told what to do, and someone he'd considered a troublesome girl at the very least, Shika found himself relaxing. Slowly, black flashes lanced across his vision. At first they were so fast and faint that Shika thought they were illusions, but soon enough, he was seeing blurs bouncing all over the place.

Gohan and Lee reappeared in a swirl of dust and a clap of thunder, Lee's shin slamming into Gohan's as both tried to hit the other with a high kick that would've connected to the other's head if they both hadn't tried the same move at the same time, the shockwave from the colliding blows slamming into the walls and fracturing them.

The two bounced apart and got ready for another round of attacks.

"You're a fantastic martial artist, Gohan-kun," Lee said with a grin and a slight puff. "I am enjoying myself very much."

"Thanks Lee. You're fantastic too. I haven't had this much fun since I sparred with my dad," Gohan replied. It was as high a compliment as he could give. Gohan despised fights to the death and tried to avoid them to the best of his ability, but if it was training with his dad or Piccolo, then he didn't mind.

The two sprinted at each other, Gohan skimming over the ground, then slammed together and their legs and arms became invisible as the two didn't sprint all over the place, but went into a stationary battle.

* * *

"Unbelievable," Ino muttered to Chouji in the stands as the two remaining members of the InoShikaCho formation watching with gaping mouths and wide eyes. It was so shocking to see that quiet kid down had been hiding so much strength. Chouji had even totally forgotten about the chips in his hands. "Those two are good!"

"I know."

"What's even more impressive," said a new voice, "is that those two are trading full power and full speed blows at such a close range and not even once getting hit."

The two genin spun.

"Kakashi-san! Sasuke-kun!" Ino called. Both Sharingan users were standing on the steps above and behind them. "When did you two get here?"

"Just now," Kakashi remarked, eye curling as Sasuke watched the match below with stunned jealousy. He glanced at Kakashi, saw the jounin's attention wasn't on him, and blinked hard, his eyes flashing crimson when they opened again. Instantly, the movements below were no longer blurs, but were crystal clear and sharp, as if he was watching a plasma HDTV.

'Damn,' he cursed inwardly. 'Even after all that special training, it looks like I'm still behind both of those two! How did they get so damn strong!'

* * *

Gohan leaned right as Lee's fist flashed past his head, then his arm came up, pushing the offending limb up and away. His foot blasted in towards Lee's now exposed ribs, but the genin's arm came down, slamming into Gohan's upraised arm, forcing down enough for him to put his hand on Gohan's shoulder then Lee wasn't in front of Gohan anymore, but above him as the taijutsu master did a one-armed handstand, both feet pointing straight up in the air, then the hand fisted in Gohan's gi as Lee kicked his feet over behind Gohan's back, the momentum yanking the saiyan off balance as Lee stood up. The lanky genin was actually a few inches taller than Gohan and was able to tug the other warrior off his feet and hurl him towards the wall.

An instant before he hit, Gohan threw his arms wide, stopping in a pulse of power, then launched into the air like a rocket until he was above even the Kage's box. His arms came up, clasped in front of his forehead and a ball of yellow ki formed in his palms.

"Not good!" Lee shouted as he looked around for a way out. This was like that match earlier when the two had first met. Immidiatly after, Lee had been terrified of that attack, but soon realized that Gohan was an outstanding opponent and a worthy challenge. In truth, Lee had been training ever since that time to fight Gohan and not just the last month. The reason he'd trained his green ass off in the preceding month was that he'd expected the rematch to be farther away than it was.

"Masenko!

The pillar of yellow light blasted earthward, making a vicious wind rip through the stands even before it hit the ground. Lee's eyes intensified as he sprinted straight at the wall that defined the boundary of the arena.

There was a flash of light then an explosion and the entire arena floor was enveloped in smoke. High above, Gohan looked around for Lee's form. That blast wasn't enough to kill Lee. It was more than enough for many people here, but not the heavy-browed shinobi. The spandex-clad fighter was also very adept at concealing his presence. Gohan had not the faintest idea of where to look for him.

There was a puff in the smoke column below and Lee burst from it, running straight up the arena wall, fire in his dark eyes.

"What!?" Gohan shouted, right before the other martial artist launched himself into the air as he hit the top of the barrier that separated the stadium from the village.

"Now I have you, Gohan-kun!" Lee shouted as he reached Gohan's level and lashed out with one leg. Gohan was so stunned at seeing someone who couldn't fly reach him that he didn't even attempt to block it, taking the full blow right in the face. He flew back, but not before grabbing Lee by his ankle and pulling him in.

"Not yet!"

Lee saw white as Gohan's fist crashed into his face, just missing his nose, slamming home just to the left. On instinct his free foot came up and returned the favor, coming up then back down, the genin's heel slamming down on the saiyan's shoulder, directly over the collarbone. Gohan squeezed harder on his opponent's still captured leg the spun and hurled Lee away as he slammed to earth.

The pair exhaled sharply as they hit, then bounced right back up.

* * *

"Oh man, how are they still moving after that?" Chouji asked as the two vanished again and began slamming together all over the arena. "I mean, they hit the ground at full force!"

"Kiai," Kakashi answered.

"Huh?"

"It's a method that most martial artists use to help them absorb an impact. Gohan sacrificed a good landing for a chance to injure Lee because he knew that it might be the only chance he gets for a while. Think of it like a game of chess. There are times you have to sacrifice another piece to get the one you're aiming for."

Gai, who'd been watching from another angle but spotted Kakashi and decided to pester his 'Eternal Rival' came over just in time to catch Kakashi's explanation. "There are also ways of falling in the right manner that allow for the falling shinobi to spread, absorb, and deflect his impact's force so that he doesn't get too seriously hurt."

"So where does the kiai come in?" Ino prodded.

"It's the method by which the pressure in the lungs is kept equal. By exhaling sharply, the lungs still retain air and the martial artist can breath immidiatly instead of waiting for his or her lungs to refill with air, which would cost precious seconds, especially in combat like this."

"I'm surprised though," Sasuke broke in, keeping his Sharingan on the battle below, memorizing every detail of Gohan and Lee's taijutsu so he would be able to adapt and use it later. Already it seemed like he'd picked up a few techniques that would be very useful. "Lee's keeping up with Gohan so easily."

Gai laughed heartily. "That's because Lee-kun has trained harder than anyone and has the Springtime of Youth on his side!"

"I've never seen anyone match Gohan," Sasuke murmured, ignoring Gai's outburst. "No one except for Orochimaru."

He missed Gai and Kakashi exchange glances behind his back.

"Huh? What're you talking about, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked. "Gohan's way ahead of Lee, no matter how powerful Lee is."

"No. Gohan's going all out right now," Sasuke snapped at the other blond. "Trust me, I know."

"Actually," Kakashi interjected, "Ino's right. Gohan is way ahead of Lee."

"Impossible, Kakashi. Even with that bizarre ability, my Lee will catch him no problem."

"Ability?" Sasuke asked. "What's he mean, Kakashi?"

The jounin sighed. "Gohan's not even taking this fight as seriously as he could be."

Sasuke's eyes got dark and dangerous. "What do you _mean_?" he ground out.

Kakashi's eye flicked over the stadium floor as the blurs of movement below stopped, words were exchanged, and Gohan took up a familiar stance. "Watch. I think you're about to find out."

* * *

Gohan and Lee grunted as they glanced off each other again, their fists just missing the other's face. They skidded apart and grinned at each other.

"Gohan-kun, I believe it is time that we stop this little warm up and actually get serious," Lee proposed.

The other nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm limber enough now." Gohan stood up straight and began drawing at the power that lay dormant deep inside of him. Winds blasted out from under him, making his hair whip all over the place as it flashed back and forth from gold and black. He blinked and when his eyes opened again, they were vivid emerald instead of their usual dark onyx color. The teen's muscles bulged outward as they two were energized by the sudden influx of power. A gold ring began spinning around his feet, a faint chirping filling the air right before there was a flash, a noise like something breaking and the aura flared into full life, outlining the Z fighter with a tongue of gold flame.

Last was a sharp hissing noise then a shockwave passed over the entire arena, and Gohan relaxed as his golden aura flashed out of existence, his transformation complete.

"Oh boy," Sakura muttered, "here we go again!"

"Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, his voice trembling as he tried to keep the anger and jealousy from it. Just how did that quiet bastard have this much raw _power_!? It was greater than Orochimaru's! Of course, Sasuke would be even more stunned if he realized that Orochimaru was even more powerful than Gohan and that the Super Saiyan in the ring below had actually forced the Snake Sannin to use a little more than half while Sasuke himself hadn't even managed to force out even a quarter. "What the _hell_ is that!?"

Kakashi sounded almost smug as he replied. In fact, he had a good amount of ryo riding on this battle. He'd bet that Gohan would win the battle between him and Lee. Gai, in keeping with his drive to beat his 'Eternal Rival' also had that amount riding on Lee. And judging by the way Gai was nibbling at his thumbnail, Kakashi was willing to bet the other taijutsu master had totally forgotten about Gohan's transformation and the power it unleashed. "_That_, Sasuke, is Gohan at his very best. He's decided to go all out against Rock Lee and transform into what he calls a Super Saiyan."

"Super…Saiyan?" Sasuke repeated, rolling the unfamiliar word around in his mouth.

"Yes. And Lee no longer has a chance of winning."

Laughter from Gai cut him off. "That's where you're wrong, my Eternal Rival!" the spandex-clad jounin shouted, bringing most of the attention from the surrounding crowd onto him. "Lee's trained very hard for this very moment." He took a deep breath. "GO LEE! SHOW HIM THE POWER OF YOUTH!"

"YES SIR!" Lee shouted back, ecstatic. He brought his hands up to his face and looked Gohan dead in the eye, who, for some reason, didn't look as dangerous as he had during the prelims. Without that deadly glint in his eye, Gohan simply looked as if he'd decided to change his hair color and put in colored contacts. Lee made a hand seal. "Gohan-kun," he said, "now is the time to test the limits of my training! Prepare yourself!"

"Kaimon…_KAI_!"

* * *

Well, that's it for now. Hope this chapter serves as a suitable prelude to the next chapter and please accept my apologies for the lateness. Writer's block with one of my other fics and school have kept me from writing as much as I wanted. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it!

**Glossary**

**Kaiten (Heavenly Spin):** Neji spins around really fast and expells chakra from every point on his body. The end result is a nigh-impenatrable shield of chakra that will block almost anything.

**Rokujuuyonshou (Sixty four Palms): **A series of sixty four strikes all along the enemy's chakra network. The result is total shut down of the network, which means that the victim is unable to use chakra, and when you're a shinobi, that's a bad thing.

**Kaimon: **The first of the eight chakra gates. Opening this one removes all the body's limits regarding the use of muscular strength and allows for the Primary Lotus to be used. There are eight gates and while opening all eight means that the user is practically invincible, it also totally drains the body's stamina and chakra, resulting in death.


	18. Round 2!

Disclaimer: Own nothing. If I did, I wouldn't be using student loans to pay for college.

In the words of Monty Python: "Get on with it!"

* * *

_Lee made a hand seal. "Gohan-kun," he said, "now is the time to test the limits of my training! Prepare yourself!"_

_"Kaimon…__KAI!"_

* * *

Gohan quirked an eyebrow as Lee's ki increased by a good amount, but nowhere near what it needed to be to compete with him.

"Lee," he said, "that's not going to do much."

The prodigy grinned back at him, not lowering his hands. "Just wait, Gohan-kun, it gets better." He closed his eyes and a vein began to bulge in his temple. "Kyumon! KAI!" Again, Lee's power shot up, but this time, Gohan was surprised to note that it was a substantial bit more that what had been unleashed before. "Seimon! KAI!"

The opening of this gate was the equivalent of a bomb going off. A wave of power shot of Lee's body and slammed so hard into Gohan that it made him stagger. The ground beneath the lanky shinobi cracked and broke under the strain of supporting Lee's increasing power and smaller pebbles began to fly of their own accord, rising into the air to hang like earthen rosaries. Lee's pupils vanished into the whites of his eyes and his hair began to whip and dance, as if tousled by a hurricane. To Gohan's amazement, his skin turned lobster red.

"Shomon!" Lee appeared to steel himself for what was coming. "KAI!"

The splintered earth buckled and gave way, rising as jagged spikes, the hanging pebbles were blown away, Gohan shielding his eyes from the onslaught of minute rock fragments that were moving faster than bullets. One ripped a hole in his gi top, right over his left shoulder and another opened a sizable gash on his leg, but neither were able to pierce his skin.

"Tomon! KAI!"

The earth blew itself away, Gohan flickering as he moved from place to place dodging rocks. Lee's ki speared through the saiyan's mind, a rocket that was rising to his own level faster than anything had ever before. Below, the bushy-browed martial artist staggered, sweat beading on his crimson forehead, teeth gritted as if he was holding off some desperate scream of pain.

* * *

"What…What is he?" Sasuke asked, voicing the thoughts of everyone who didn't know what was going on. Ino, Chouji, Sasuke, and others like the civilians looked at the two jounin for their answer. Kakashi looked stunned at what Lee had done, but his normally lazy gaze sharpened as he too looked at Maito Gai for the explanation.

"Gai," Kakashi barked, sounding more alert and angry than Sasuke had ever witnessed, aside from when he'd seen the jounin fight with Zabuza and Haku on the bridge in Wave Country. "You taught him how to open the gates?"

Gai didn't look nearly as worried as Kakashi did. "Kakashi, Kakashi," the self-proclaimed Green Beast of Konoha answered, shaking his head. "You are one to criticize." He shot the other jounin a look and the Sharingan-user realized with a jolt that Gai was perfectly aware of what he and Sasuke had been working on as of late. "Besides, you do not know Lee as I do. Watch. Lee has worked hard to master the Gates. He's practiced using them every second of the day, opening and closing them every chance he gets! Even I have not achieved what Lee has."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, his voice not losing its sharp edge.

A dull thud from behind him made him spin just in time to catch a massive spray of soil and rock arcing into the air, as if the hard earth wasn't solid, but water. But just who'd taken the hit was what surprised him the most.

Lee was standing at the base of the eruption.

His red face still looked strained and he was still sweating, but the taijutsu user wasn't bending over like he should've been. Kakashi knew that using the fourth and fifth gates snapped the muscles of the user upon its activation. The human body simply couldn't handle the strain. Or so he thought, as a fantastic, _insane_, idea occurred to him, but no matter how far out it seemed, Kakashi knew it was the only likely explanation.

"That's…That's not possible!"

"It is." Gai answered simply.

"What're you two talking about?" Sasuke demanded, Sharingan aglow as he watched Gohan shoot from the top of the settling spray, a gold streak that shot into the air to hang over the stadium like an avenging angel or a star.

"Lee…" Kakashi sounded like he was having trouble accepting what he was about to say. "Lee has mastered the Gates in a way that no one before him has." He plowed on before the impatient Uchiha could interrupt him again. "He's used the gates so often and so much that his body has accepted the strain."

"Accepted and adapted," Gai continued, a distinct note of pride and a slight tinge of jealousy, though it was of the friendly sort and not the malevolent like Sasuke's. "Lee's body has toughened to the point that the muscles do not snap upon the initial activation, nor is he drained as much as someone like Kakashi or you, Sasuke-kun, would be if they used the Gates. Lee-kun has taken the technique and made it his own."

* * *

High above the arena, Gohan was wondering about the technique as well as he watched Lee below him, a figure shrouded in swirling blue ki and a constant ripple of dust shooting from around his feet. The Super Saiyan knew he'd seen the technique before, but for the life of him couldn't place where he'd seen it.

Lee crouched like a track runner in the starting block then pushed off, the earth buckling behind him. Gohan barely got his guard up in time, the blow rattling his teeth when it landed. The two launched a barrage of attacks, their fists colliding with thuds that rocked the entire stadium as they fought, suspended in mid air, Lee using a few of Gohan's blows like springboards to keep himself aloft.

The saiyan's head rang as a blow slipped past him, making white stars dance in his field of vision, but he recovered quickly, diving back into the fray, perhaps faster than Lee expected because the prodigy took a return blow in the face as well. He went rocketing earthward, flipped to his feet right as he hit, skidded backwards, then the wall behind him shattered, a deep depression blown into its surface as Lee threw an arm out behind himself and used it to stop. A vein bulged in his forehead as he strained to absorb the force. When Lee began yanking, Gohan thought that his opponent's arm was embedded too far into the arena wall to be pulled free.

Something began to emerge from the wall as Lee continued to try to free his arm.

'No. He's not trying to free himself!' Gohan realized with a jolt as he sank into a stance, his arms cupped at his side. "He's pulling!"

"Pulling?" Shika asked to no one as he watched Gohan, reading the other teen's lips as a blue star began to shine in the gold-haired warrior's hands.

Water sprayed all over the green genin as he yanked the water pipe out of the wall, breaking off a sizable section when he had pulled it far enough out. Without hesitation he whipped it at Gohan, who was forced to abandon the former Kamehameha to dodge the pipe as it scythed through the air, cracking past inches from his ear.

"Close!"

A fist buried itself in Gohan's gut, doubling him over. He didn't get a respite as bandages shot out of nowhere and began wrapping around him. Before he was able to puzzle over what had happened, he was bound more tightly than a mummy, unable to move.

"You took your eyes off me," Lee's voice said in his ear. "A most unwise move, Gohan-kun."

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura shouted, recognizing the set-up for a Renge. She'd seen its devastating power first hand and though it had failed at the time, the kunoichi would never forget it for as long as she lived.

Lee flipped over so they were pointed headfirst at the ground and began to spin like a top, picking up speed and power until the dirt below began to swirl with them before springing up, a brown tornado in a cloudless sky. The whirling boys were only recognizable as a dark smudge inside the twister.

"A new technique Gohan-kun! Tatsumaki no Renge!"

The bottom of the tornado blew out in a massive fountain of earth, the twister dissolving into nothing more than a few ghostly wisps of dust, the heavier particles falling over the arena floor as an earthen rain.

Lee shot out from the cloud below, rolled on his shoulder then knifed into the air to alight on his feet. Then he clutched at his leg, eyes screwed shut.

* * *

"Lee!" Gai shouted, rushing to the rail. The new Renge hadn't been a surprise. Lee had found that using the Ura Renge had depleted too much of his stamina even with his newfound resistance to the Gates, so he'd invented the Tatsumaki no Renge as a replacement. It was simply a stronger form of the Omote Renge with increased spin and more gates open, meaning more power. However with greater power came a greater downside. It still had a tendency to snap muscles and shatter bone. Gai had tried it himself and had knocked himself out for four days from the forces on his body. That was when he'd been force to admit that Lee had surpassed him, at least in the area of stamina.

* * *

Lee staggered upright, but the overt signs of his Gate use didn't fade, meaning that he was still using at least up to the third one. His leg shook violently and gave out, forcing the taijutsu user to sink back to his knees. His ragged breathing was the only sound within the stadium for several long minutes, during which the crater he'd left Gohan in had become visible. It was a hole in the ground with jagged edges, peeled back like a banana. There was no sign of the saiyan inside it.

"Gohan…" Kakashi whispered, seeing no trace of movement within the deep hole.

Sakura clenched her hands even tighter, knuckles bone white, everyone but her and Naruto, who'd returned from the hospital right after Lee and Gohan had gotten serious, noticing that the metal beneath her fingers was creaking and crying faintly in protest.

"Gohan!" Naruto shouted, his voice echoing over the silent stadium. "GOHAN!"

There was no response. Again Lee staggered upright, leaning heavily on his good leg, his expression one of horror and his eyes tearing up.

"Gohan…-kun…no…" He rasped out as he hobbled towards the crater in front of him. "I-I didn't mean to…"

"GURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Pure gold light shot from the crater, the brilliant rays shining so bright that everyone shielded their eyes from the light for a second or two before, with a noise like a cannon going off, the crater exploded from within, the flying fragments of every conceivable size slamming into the walls and sticking, . When the slight and shouting stopped, a streak shot from below the ground, climbing until it was level with the box where the Kage's sat before turning earthward again.

For the umpteenth time, a cloud erupted in the arena as the streak slammed to earth. When it cleared it revealed Gohan, much worse for the wear, but otherwise intact, standing hunched over, a section of his golden hair dyed a dark crimson as blood spilled from some unseen wound above his hairline, running down his face then dripping from his chin. His gi top was totally gone, the hirai-ate around his waist holding only scraps. His torso was covered with cuts and bruises, but his arm was the worst. His right arm dangled limply, a savage gash carved into his shoulder, spilling crimson fluid that raced down the limp limb in small dark rivulets. The dark pants that he'd been wearing were almost gone too, resembling cut off shorts more than pants, the ragged fringe resting at knee level. Gohan's legs were just as scuffed up as the rest of him and he seemed to be favoring one leg.

The two fighter's breathing was ragged, as if they'd both just run flat out for miles.

"What…was that?" Gohan gasped, trying desperately to get his breathing to level out. If he was still this winded and Lee managed to recover first, he was done for. His body wouldn't get the oxygen it needed and he'd pass out.

"Tat…sumaki…no Renge," Lee struggled to say. "New jutsu."

"Scary," Gohan replied. "You…almost…had me."

"It…wasn't…enough."

"Almost…a little…faster…and you…would've won." That was all they said for a few minutes, then their breathing was as even as it was going to get.

'Incredible,' Gohan marveled. 'He's almost as strong as I am right now. With those Gate things of his it's like he's using Dad's…The Kaio-ken!' The answer that Gohan had been looking for this entire battle hit him right then and there. 'That's it! It's not a transformation or some weird bloodline! It's an enhancement technique like Dad's old Kaio-ken!' Gohan smiled weakly, making Lee lift an eyebrow.

"Something funny Gohan-kun?" The prodigy asked.

"I just figured you out, Lee," the saiyan answered. "Those gates give you great power, but the strain they put on your body is incredible. The fact that you're standing is mind-boggling, but you can't have that much left." He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, his golden aura bursting to life, renewed determination in his emerald eyes. "I can beat you."

Lee looked startled, then his red skin resumed its normal color and his pupils returned. "You're right." A sound like a bunch of rubber bands snapping filled the air and Lee got out one yell before his eyes rolled back and he passed out, though he remained standing for some odd reason.

Genma popped up out of nowhere. He'd made himself scarce when the battle had really begun, taking shelter with the Hokage. The jounin looked Lee over closely before leveling one hand at the Super Saiyan.

"Winner: Son Gohan!"

* * *

The crowd's reaction was immediate and ear shattering. Everyone, from the meanest peasant to the most noble of the lords was on their feet, screaming and stamping, cheering for both of the warriors and the show they had put on. The only one not cheering was Sasuke, who was too busy trying to keep his inner turmoil in check. For the longest time, he'd believed himself to be superior to everyone in every way. Then they'd found Gohan and he'd shown them the barest glimpse of his power, forcing Sasuke to admit that he wasn't so superior. Then he'd been defeated by Haku and somehow, Naruto, _Naruto_ all people, had beaten the ice user.

Then his effortless defeat at the hands of Orochimaru and now this, the unbelievable earth-shattering power that both fighters had unleashed. In that instant, Gohan had proven himself to be in a class far above Sasuke and Lee had proven that he could match it, or at least make Gohan work for it.

Though he hadn't fought, with this one battle, his pride and ego were in shambles. He turned on his heel, teeth gritted so hard he thought he heard his jaw crack, and made to leave.

Kakashi stopped him, one hand clenching on the avenger's shoulder.

"Let go," Sasuke snapped, trying but failing to shake the lanky jounin off.

"No." Kakashi's voice was gentle but unmistakably firm. "We're done for today. I had you up early so we could finish before the tournament. I want to see how much Naruto and Sakura have improved in this past month."

Sasuke had to resist the urge to spit at the jounin.

* * *

Gohan chuckled weakly as medic nins came into the arena to collect Lee. He watched as his opponent was loaded onto a stretcher and carted off. The world seemed to spin before him and the ground seemed as firm as jello. Cotton was in his ears, making the noise sound mute and distant.

"Heheh. Good thing he didn't call my bluff."

Then all Gohan's strength lefthim and his hair turned black, emerald eyes returned to their normal onyx hue and he fell backwards, spread-eagle onto his back. The last thing he heard was the medics shouting for another stretcher.

* * *

An intermission was called after the two were carted off to allow shinobi to use Doton jutsu to fix the area. Nothing could be done about the battered and abused walls though, which had holes from Lee, Neji, and Naruto smashing into it, not to mention the rock that Gohan had flung around when he'd emerge from the ground and the narrow fissure from when Lee had pulled the pipe out of the wall.

Sakura found herself in the hospital wing of the stadium during the twenty minutes she had before her match. She was sitting next to Gohan's bed, who was out like a light. She wished he were awake so he could offer her a few last minute pieces of advice. To her surprise, she got her wish when Gohan's eyes opened about ten minutes before the start of the next match.

His dark eyes found her, but it took him a minute to recognize her. The nurse had told Sakura he had a severe concussion from his head-on collision with the ground. If he'd been able to get an arm free to absorb even a little of the impact it wouldnt've been as bad, but he hadn't so this was the way things were. If Sakura knew Gohan, though, he'd be up and about before the end of the week.

"Sakura?" Gohan asked thickly, the words slurred, a sign of the concussion.

She tried to smile, but it was a weak one. "Hi."

"Where?" He flinched as his head throbbed. "Where am…I?"

"The hospital wing. You had a bad concussion, some light internal bleeding, a smashed shoulder and five broken ribs. The doctors say you're lucky you didn't die, but they've fixed most of it. Now you just need rest."

Gohan chuckled but hissed as his ribs bit him for doing it. "Did you tell them I've had worse?" Even though he'd been up for only a minute or two, Sakura could see he was feeling better already. His words were less slurred and there was a coherent light in his eye.

"No," she answered with a laugh. "They wouldn't have believed me."

"How's Lee?"

Sakura moved to the side, allowing him to see the other fighter, who was in the bed next to him, still unconscious. "He's just as bad as you are. His leg's in really bad shape though. The bones are in shambles. It's almost too much to fix and every muscle in him has some kind of tear on it. Some medic worked a little magic and kept him out of the ICU though."

"That's good."

"What happened?" The kunoichi asked.

Gohan leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment before looking at her. "That technique he used to get his skin to turn red. That's what did it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My Dad had a technique similar to it."

"He did?"

Gohan nodded weakly. He stared at the ceiling. When he spoke again, it was like he was reliving old memories. "He learned it from Kaio-sama, the Lord of the Worlds. It was called the Kaio-ken and it enhanced everything."

"Kaio-ken?" Sakura interrupted. "I've heard you mention it before."

"But not what it did. To make it simple, it was like what Lee used. It even gave him a red aura, but the downside was that he could only go so far before his body couldn't take it anymore. It looked like Lee did the same thing."

"So long story short, Lee's something else?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. I didn't realize that he had that kind of ability." He stared at the ceiling again. "Or that it would make him so powerful. He was around my level at the time." Sakura must have looked startled because he smiled. "Don't tell me you're that surprised? Your level of power doesn't mean anything concrete, just that you have a greater chance of winning."

Sakura was silent for a moment then shook herself out of her stupor and got down to why she was there. "Uh, Gohan-kun."

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any advice for me before I fight Temari-san?"

Gohan settled deeper into his pillows then said, "Bring me those crutches over there."

"Huh?"

The saiyan repeated his request.

"Oh. Sure." She crossed the room and picked up the walking aids. One the shoulder cushion were the words 'Son Gohan'. There was a second set beneath them that read 'Rock Lee'. Apparently, the nurses had left them by the door for when they were discharged, but forgotten to take them with her. She handed the crutches to Gohan and he hauled himself out of bed, breaking out into a pained sweat as he did, touching one hand to his bandaged head, and took them. How he managed with his ribs, arm, and other wounds, Sakura could only wonder about. He hobbled over to the door and into the hall.

"Coming?"

Sakura finally realized that he meant to go to the match. She opened her mouth to protest, then stopped and closed it before trotting after him. Hard experience during their month together had taught Sakura that you didn't attempt to reason with Son Gohan when he had set his mind to something. He was a lot like Naruto that way.

* * *

There were only a few minutes remaining before Sakura's match when they arrived at the participant's box. Everyone looked stunned to see the wounded saiyan there.

"Gohan?" Naruto asked, looking amazed that his roommate was on his feet.

"Hey."

Sakura noticed that Temari was already on the arena floor, which, aside from some rolling dips, looked none the worse for wear. The other kunoichi had her fan out and was tapping her foot impatiently.

"You better go," Gohan said to her. Sakura turned to leave, but the saiyan had one other thing to say to her. "Sakura!"

She stopped and turned. "Yeah?"

"When you get down there, take your weights off, but keep acting like you have them on."

"Huh?"

Shikamaru broke in with an annoyed tone. "He means that you should keep doing what you're doing now, even though you have the weights off."

"Oh, okay," Sakura answered as Gohan laughed sheepishly and scratched his head. Then the kunoichi turned and trotted down the stairs to the arena floor below.

"Hn, it's about time you showed up," Temari said scathingly. Sakura tried not to show any sign she'd heard the older girl, but she wasn't able to stop a little heat from coming to her face. The Suna-nin glared at Genma, who chewed easily on the needle stuck in his mouth. "Can we get this show on the road?"

"If you're that eager," Genma answered, raising his voice and removing his senbon. "The third match will now begin! Sabaku no Temari vs. Haruno Sakura…" Sakura looked into the stands on briefly but in that span of time, found Sasuke, Kakashi, Ino, and her parents all watching her like hawks.

'It's all on me now,' she thought, feeling a little queasy. 'I cannot lose!' Her jade eyes narrowed. 'I _won't _lose!'

"Begin!"

Sakura's hand shot up to the top clasp that held her weighted vest shut. Temari took it to mean that she was reaching for a weapon and leapt backwards, light as a feather, landing a fair distance away. Sakura flipped open the clasp, her heart pounding. At long last she would be able to see the results of her training. It hadn't seemed like she'd made any progress, since the vest nor the weighted arm and leg sections got any lighter, but she had a suspicion that Gohan had a hand in that.

The middle clasp came open, then the bottom. She shed the vest, letting it dangle at her side then fall easily to the ground. Next were the six arm clasps, three on each one. She knelt for the leggings.

"What is this?" Temari called, "A striptease? I could beat you there too!"

The crowed snickered, but Sakura paid them no mind, feeling oddly detached as she undid the clasps for the leggings. She stood up, marveling at how light her body felt. Briefly, she ran through everything that Gohan had taught her and the things she'd taught herself.

She could remember them all.

She was ready.

* * *

"Why'd Sakura take all that stuff off?" Naruto asked to Shikamaru. The genius shot him a look that said 'what are you? Stupid?'

"Those're weights you idiot," the lazy genin shot back. "Shut up and watch."

"Yeesh, snippy," The blond answered huffily.

Gohan was trying not to grin too much. This was about to get good. Or it would if Sakura could adjust to the speeds she was about to be moving at. If Gohan's estimates were right, she would be around as fast Lee without his weights, but he knew that was a rough guess. More than likely she'd end up being either a hair slower or a hair faster.

"Here we go," Kakashi muttered to himself. "Let's see what you've got, Sakura."

"Sakura doesn't stand a chance against her!" Ino protested. "That Temari girl is way better!"

"Don't be so sure," Kakashi answered, nodding to the arena when Ino twisted around to look at him. "Watch."

* * *

"Let's go," Sakura muttered. She channeled chakra into her feet, legs, and arms. When it reached the level where it was supposed to be, she raised her arms to guard, making every motion deliberate so she didn't punch herself in the face, then slid her left foot forward, put her weight on it…

And vanished.

"What!?" Temari shouted, right before Sakura appeared in front of her, fist already drawn back. The hook smashed into her cheek, right on the joint for her jaw, and lifted Temari clean off her feet, throwing her corkscrewing through the air. The Sand-nin cried out as she slammed into a tree, compressing the wood of the trunk, and slumped to the ground, dazed.

"Whoa!" Sakura exclaimed, just as caught off guard by her success as Temari herself was. The pink-haired kunoichi looked at her fist, amazed. "Did that really happen?" It was a weird feeling. When she'd started running, she'd shot forward faster than she'd ever thought possible. The world had begun to blur a little in her peripherals, but Temari had remained as if she was frozen in time, not reacting to Sakura until she'd dug her foot in to slow down and land the attack.

The crowd was dead silent. They didn't know what'd happened either.

"That's it," Gohan murmured, a triumphant smirk on his face. "That's how it's done!" He watched, a feeling of great pride in his chest as Sakura walked over to Temari's fan as the kunoichi herself began to stir, pick up the tessen, heft it as if testing its weight, then draw back and hurl it as hard as she could.

The fan spun, an iron blur, out over the wall and somewhere into the village. It was, Gohan knew, as much as strategic move as it was a test. By using the fan, Sakura accomplished two things. One, she got rid of her enemy's favored weapon and increased her chances of winning, and two, she got used to her strength and what her body could do when it was free of the weights.

"You little bitch!" Temari howled as she watched her beloved fan, and main weapon, spin far from the confines of the arena. She'd put a little something in it that allowed her to track it, and she could sense it without any problem, but she couldn't leave to retrieve it without getting disqualified. "I'm gonna kill you for that!"

"I don't think you can," Sakura answered, and meant it. She felt…powerful, as if her body was energized by her success and her improvement. She owned Gohan-kun big time, she decided. She would have to repay him somehow. Maybe a date or something. She stopped at the thought and flushed.

"You cocky little…" Temari snarled, though her mind was racing, trying frantically to come up with a way to counter Sakura's newfound abilities. The wind-user whipped out a kunai then dashed as fast as she could at Sakura, who looked startled, as if she was seeing the kunoichi in a brand-new light. "Die!"

Sakura's hand snapped up, as if of its own accord, and seized Temari's wrist in a vice grip. The strength of the hold surprised Temari for the second time in two minutes. Who knew the little witch had so much strength? She jerked and Sakura, not ready for it, stumbled, but by reflex tightened her grip. Temari ground her teeth together as she felt the bones in her wrist begin to grind together.

Sakura let out a yell as she drove her knuckle into the just the right spot on Temari's arm and the kunoichi's arm went slack, the knife clattering from her grip. Sakura drew back again and slammed her fist into Temari's stomach, making the other girl cough up bile and blood. Sakura stepped in, turned, seized Temari's head in a headlock, then hurled the other kunoichi across the arena. A sudden inspiration seized the pink-haired kunoichi, then she sprinted after the flying Suna-nin. When the time was right, she leapt up and lashed out with one foot.

The blow caught Temari in the ribs and shot her into the sky like a soccer ball. Sakura dashed at the wall below Temari then sprinted straight up it and launched herself into open sky. Temari, despite her pain, managed to prepare, throwing her weight around to twist in the sky and seize Sakura by the wrist as she sailed past. The older girl jerked, spun like a figure skater, and hurled Sakura at the ground.

Sakura hit hard, bounced twice, then skidded to a halt.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted.

"Easy," Gohan said, nodding to the kunoichi as she got up without hesitation. "Sakura's not done yet." Sakura again fazed out, but this time Temari was ready for it and backpedaled right as she reappeared. The Suna kunoichi spun out of the way, letting Sakura overextend, then blasted Sakura in the ribs, making her wince and cough, but she recovered fast, regaining her footing before lunging in, ducking beneath a second strike, then from the crouch, gave Temari a vicious uppercut, lifting the kunoichi her off her feet. Sakura brought her hands to her hips then struck forward, a double hit that again sent Temari flying away into some bushes.

Sakura exhaled easily, lowering her hands as she centered herself again, preparing for the next onslaught. She was only dimly aware of the cheering of the crowd around her. Most of it was for her. After all, she had the home turf advantage.

Temari emerged from the bushes, wiping a small trail of blood from the corner of her mouth. The kunoichi didn't waste any time talking. Her hands molded together into a seal sequence. The pony-tailed kunoichi glared at Sakura as she slammed her hand down on the hard-packed earth.

"Ninpou! Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

When the smoke cleared, a white weasel the size of a dog was sitting at her feet. Temari, who had held the last sign in her sequence, allowed her fingers to shift to the form for Tiger.

"Henge!"

The weasel jumped into the air, twisting and turning, before being changing with a small pop and puff of smoke. Two small fans fell out of the smoke cloud, which the Suna kunoichi caught deftly in each hand. She flipped them open, the design on the inside white, with the edge dyed red and a small purple circle on each side.

The left one snapped closed, but Temari gave the right fan a little flick and to Sakura's surprise, a mildly strong gust of wind rippled out from the other kunoichi, visible as a rising sheet of dust that whipped across the arena floor.

"Now," Temari growled, her voice all the indication Sakura needed that she was ready to kill, "where were we?"

* * *

And that's that. Sorry about this being so late. As you may or may not know, my grades started to slip and one of the first things I had to give up was writing. But I'm back, so here it is, the first new chapter of the new year! Well, technically it's still 2008 right now, but it's '09 somewhere right?

**Glossary**

**Tatsumaki no Renge (Twister's Lotus): **An upgraded version of the Omote Renge developed by Lee to try and get the power of the Ura Renge without so much damage being done to his body.

**Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique): **A technique used to summon an animal partner to battle. Can be dogs, toads, snakes, slugs, weasels, pretty much anything you can make a contract with.


	19. When the Walls Fall

Disclaimer: If you don't know by now that I don't own either Naruto or DBZ...well, just go back and look at the other eighteen chapters.

Last time: Sakura shows off the results of her training.

* * *

"Now," Temari growled, her voice all the indication Sakura needed that she was ready to kill, "where were we?"

Sakura shivered as Temari's killing intent washed over her. The other kunoichi was really out to kill. She launched herself at Temari. A slight flicker in the other kunoichi's eyes told Sakura right off that the Suna-nin had lost sight of her again.

'Let's see how you like this!'

She lunged, digging with her foot to slow down a bit. Temari whipped her fans, a savage wind hammered Sakura, feeling like she'd run right into a brick wall. Then her fist was flying forward…

Stopping just short of Temari's chin.

Sakura had just enough time to blink and wonder what happened before Temari smacked her with the iron edge of the fan, stunning the Konoha shinobi. The Suna kunoichi followed through, fans snapping open as she spun back around.

"Fuuryusen!"

A huge blast of wind slammed into Sakura, throwing her head over heels across the arena, slamming her into the other side of the stadium, the wind gust slamming her a split second later. Sakura screamed in pain as gashes ripped themselves open all over her body. The wind kunoichi threw herself into the air, fans coming open.

"Ninpou: Kazekiri!"

An invisible ripple shot from Temari, slicing through the air with an audible whistling noise. It slammed into the area Sakura had been, the trees creaking ominously before a thin gash appeared in their trunks and the mighty plants keeled over sideways. The wind had slashed through them more precisely than any sword.

Something whispered past Temari and she spun like a Hyuuga doing a Kaiten. The dome of wind generated ripped outward, blasting into Sakura, stopping her cold. In the second it took for the kunoichi to regain her footing, Temari flung a volley of shuriken at her then waved her fans.

Sonic booms rippled through the arena as the shuriken vanished as they sped up with the wind. Sakura saw the shuriken coming, to her great surprise. She threw herself into her evasions, trying to avoid them. For the most part she was successful, but a few lines of icy pain drew themselves along her arms, one of them crossing the wound from earlier, doubling the burning from there.

"Sakura above you!" Naruto shouted.

She looked up, trying to squint past the sun. Temari was floating above her, already getting ready to strike.

"Kazekiri!"

Another blade of wind slashed at Sakura. There was no time and it slashed across her body, entering at the chest and exiting just below her waist. Blood sprayed from the startled kunoichi as she began to split in two.

Temari smirked as she landed, watching the girl she'd hit finish separating, hitting the ground with two meaty thuds. "Keh, serves you right, bitch," the Suna girl snorted.

"Who's a bitch?" A voice asked from behind her. Temari whirled, eyes going wide. Sakura was standing behind her, totally unhurt except for a small tear in her dress from where she'd just barely managed to dodge the blade of wind. When Temari looked behind her, only a severed log was laying there. Sakura smirked. "Kawarimi no Jutsu. Don't discount the basics."

"Don't fuck with me chibi!" Temari thundered, furious at being outwitted by the pink girl. She spun, launching another blast of wind. Sakura crouched, the ripple passing over her, then threw herself into the air, avoiding a second blast. The Konoha kunoichi flung a volley of weapons, mostly kunai, as hard as she could. The weapons became nothing more than black streaks in the air.

Temari grunted as she flung an enormous blast of wind. The two attacks met and merged. Sakura felt like a hammer hit her as she was blasted away, flying through the air before hitting the ground and rolling as fast as she could to dissipate the momentum. Temari gritted her teeth against pinpricks of pain as the kunai hit her, digging into her, but not really doing anything but superficial damage. The way Sakura quickly got back to her feet told Temari that she really hadn't hurt the other girl either.

Sakura fazed out.

Temari counted to one in her head then flung herself sideways, just in time to see Sakura's fist flash past, followed by the girl's startled face. Temari's hand chopped down on the kunoichi's neck, making her stumble as a fan slammed into her chin, making her rear back before Temari's foot flicked out, sending Sakura crashing to the ground.

Sakura's teeth rattled as she hit, but she kept the presence of mind to roll out of the way before any follow up could find her. Just in time too because Temari's foot slammed to earth right where her head had been a second before. Sakura kicked her feet into the air, twisted on her hands then pushed herself into the air to land on her feet.

She twisted, a fan flashing past, her hand slapping Temari's arm, keeping it at bay, her other arm coming up in front of her, pushing the second fan up and away. Temari was wide open. Sakura struck, slamming her fists into the other teen's stomach. Temari gagged as something suddenly shot into her throat. The Suna kunoichi felt her feet leave the ground as her legs and arms continued forward. Sakura let loose with a series of punishing blows to Temari's midriff, each one feeling heavier than the last.

Two palms appeared in Temari's face.

She saw white, her ears ringing as the bony hands slammed into her nose, breaking, making blood spill down her face as she flew away. Temari cried out as she slammed into the wall of the arena. She was vaguely aware of sinking into it, a noise like cracking ice filling her ears. Temari fell to the side and that was what saved her.

Sakura's fist, charged with chakra and powered by energized muscles, slammed home a second later, the Konoha kunoichi's burrowing into the wall up to her elbow. Sakura's emerald eyes went wide as she forgot about Temari and tried to free her arm.

Temari, despite the throbbing in her head, knew what happened. She gestured to her fans, the weapons transforming into the weasel again before darting to her hand and changing back to the fans again. She held them out, horizontal, one on top of the other, grinning nastily.

"Now I have you!"

"Look out Sakura!" Gohan and Naruto shouted together.

"Fuuton! Kaze no Kizu!"

Sakura screamed as savage wind ripped into her again, tearing her free of the wall with a rough shove, her arm popping as her shoulder dislocated from being jarred so harshly. She slammed to the ground in a heap, new rips and tears in her skin bleeding profusely. Sakura struggled to sit up, holding her shoulder, teeth gritted against the pain, eyes screwed shut to hold back the tears that pain brought.

"You're lucky girl," Temari snarled. "If that had been my usual fan, you would've been cut to pieces."

"How…" Sakura ground out faintly. "How did you…?"

"Know?" Temari finished. She laughed. "It was easy. At first I used my wind to slow you down to almost a stand still, but then I started realizing that your brain can't keep up with the speeds you move at. To make it simple, your body moves faster than your head. So I just began to time you."

* * *

"Shit," Gohan cursed. He'd forgotten all about that in his haste to make Sakura faster and stronger. He'd totally forgotten to train her reaction time. "Oh shit. I'm sorry Sakura."

Kakashi was watching the entire battle, Sharingan bared to the air to follow Sakura's movements, since he'd barely been able to follow her without it. He noticed Gohan's downcast expression. 'He knows he made a mistake. Gohan knows it and now he's seeing what happens when the instructor makes a mistake in passing on his knowledge to his student.' The dual-colored gaze returned to the floor of the arena. 'You'll have to learn it the hard way, Gohan.'

"Get up Sakura!" Ino shouted. "You can't just roll over and die here! Not now! I still haven't kicked your ass yet!" The crowd around her began to take up the chant "Get up Sakura," the call growing louder and louder with every passing second until it was a loud roar that filled the entire stadium.

* * *

"I hate to tell you, kid," Temari said cockily, "but now that I know how to counter your speed, it's all over. From here I can come up with at least a hundred different ways to counter you. This is checkmate."

"No," Sakura rasped as she struggled to push herself to her feet. "No. I can't lose yet!" She glared at Temari, emerald eyes smoldering in an uncanny likeness to Gohan's when he was in Super Saiyan. "I promised myself I wouldn't lose. Naruto won. Gohan-kun won. I'm not going to be the only member of Team Seven to lose here!"

Temari chuckled. "You've got spunk…Sakura."

The Konoha kunoichi blinked. It was the first time Temari had used her name.

"But, you still can't win. I know how to counter you, you're not used to your own strength yet, and you're getting low on chakra. However you got that speed, you've been using chakra to do it. Now you don't have much left."

Sakura could see the other girl's reasoning. She felt like she could tip over and pass out at any time, but some drive kept her on her feet, moving forward, towards the prize she so desperately wanted, to the notion that she had to prove herself. Her good arm came up. "I'm not backing down," she muttered. It was probably beyond her to fight with only the one arm, but she wasn't going to roll over and just hand Temari the victory.

"I won't hold back," Temari said softly, looking rather startled by Sakura's determination.

"I know."

The blond sighed. "Well, if you understand…" She poured chakra into her feet, lancing forward than Sakura could see in her weakened state.

There was a sharp rap to the back of her neck by something cold and hard.

Her eyes rolled back and Sakura slumped unconscious.

At first there was silence from the crowd, as if they couldn't believe what had just happened, then, like a jet revving up, they slowly began to cheer for Temari, though those who'd been rooting for Sakura made themselves known as Sakura's parents watched worriedly as their daughter was carted off for the hospital wing, her mother sobbing quietly on her husband's shoulder.

Naruto and Gohan looked at each other, no words needed, before nodding once and heading after the medics who bore Sakura with them. Genma's announcement of Temari as the winner went unheard in the cheering (or booing) crowd.

* * *

"Wow," Ino muttered to Chouji, "Sakura was incredible out there!"

"I'll say," answered the corpulent boy, munching on his potato chips. "Who would've thought she'd be that strong after only a month?"

No one noticed Sasuke's knuckles turn white. If anyone had been caught off guard by Sakura's leap in strength, it was him. For the longest time he'd considered her a small annoyance, then one that he could stand. Now he recategorized her as potentially more powerful than himself. The notion that Sakura, who had brains but almost no brawn, had suddenly gained the physical strength she needed to surpass him…

The Uchiha's ego took another big hit.

'At this rate, Itachi will…'

Boos split the crowd, all of them directed at Kankuro who was leaving the contestant's box for the exit.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Kankuro forfeited," Gai explained. "It appears that he lost his courage to fight."

"After coming this far?" Kakashi asked. "No, there's something else at work here." He wasn't sure, but something had sent the alarm bells in the former ANBU's head off. There had been vague reports of unusual activity within the Suna borders of late and then there had been Hayate's murder, a killing that had gone unexplained for the last month. Then with Orochimaru appearing in the Exams for some unknown reason along with all of that. He glanced around the arena.

'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine…' Kakashi thought to himself, counting the ANBU in the arena, hidden in the shadows and other places. 'Only nine ANBU for this entire place? It's not enough if the shit hits the fan.' Out loud he said, "Gai, be ready for something."

"So you noticed it too." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. I'll be right back."

"Where…" It was too late. Kakashi made a hand sign and was gone. He'd recognized one of the ANBU.

The other shinobi didn't blink when the masked jounin suddenly appeared next to him in a muted puff of smoke. "Kakashi-sempai," the man muttered.

"Tenzou," the jounin murmured just as softly.

"To what do I owe the visit? Something tells me this isn't a social call."

Kakashi nodded. "Right to the point then. I was curious as to why there're so few ANBU here."

Tenzou, better known as Yamato, nodded. "I'm as much in the dark about it as you are. Sandaime-sama wouldn't elaborate as to what he was thinking. Something's up though." The mask turned to face Kakashi. "Kakashi-sempai, we've been hearing reports of Suna getting…"

"Up to something, I know," Kakashi finished. He sighed. "Fine. Just keep a sharp watch. If they're gonna try something, whoever they are, it's gonna be during the Exams."

"Rest assured, I'm way ahead of you."

Kakashi nodded and repeated his hand sign, vanishing to reappear in the stairway behind Gai. He trotted up the steps, Icha Icha Paradise in hand.

"Where'd you go?" Sasuke asked, shooting Kakashi a curious glance.

"Nowhere," Kakashi answered, eye curling. "Just went for a walk." Sasuke shrugged and turned back to the arena where intermission had been declared, the crowd dissolving into a mass of movement. The Jounin stood watching the chaos for a bit then left again, going towards the hospital wing.

* * *

Gohan and Naruto sat on either side of Sakura's bed as the kunoichi rested, waiting for her to open her eyes. Both breathed a sigh of relief when she did.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered, hugging the kunoichi. A fist rapped him sharply on the back of the head, making him back off to tend to the large welt on his skull.

"Back off, baka," the kunoichi snarled.

"Feeling okay I take it?" Gohan asked with a smile.

Sakura blinked. "Gohan-kun!" Her eyes turned downcast. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He asked.

"I lost."

The saiyan shook his head. "No. I should apologize to you."

"What for?"

Gohan looked away, unwilling to meet his student's eyes. "I failed you as a teacher. I didn't fully prepare you for what your training would bring. Because of… because of _my _error, _you_ had to suffer the consequences when Temari-san figured you out."

"Better that happen now than on the battlefield where your mistake could have cost Sakura her life," a new voice said.

The three teens looked around. "Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called. "Hey! Did you see us fight? Huh? Did you did you?"

"Most of you," the jounin answered. "I didn't see you fight, Naruto, but I heard you were fantastic." The three beamed as the sliver-haired man sat on the foot of Sakura's bed. "Sakura, I'm impressed with you most of all. You've made such an improvement it's astounding."

The kunoichi blushed at the praise.

"Naruto and Gohan," the two boys blinked. "You two are up next. Shikamaru got seeded and Kankuro forfeited. It means that in ten minutes, you two will fight for a place in the finals." Naruto grinned.

"I'm ready, Kakashi-sensei," he said confidently. "Ero-sennin showed me a few tricks that should help."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from Jiraiya of the Sannin," Kakashi muttered. "Sensei _and _his son. Who would've guessed?"

"What was that Kakashi-sensei?"

"Nothing." He looked at Gohan. "I hope you won't be holding back." The black-haired boy nodded, grinning as well.

"I'm gonna give Naruto a workout," he promised. They lapsed into silence until a roar filled the stadium.

"It's time," Kakashi told them, standing up. He helped Sakura out of be, the kunoichi wobbly but otherwise able to stand.

* * *

Roars of approval filled both boys' ears as they emerged into the brilliant sunlight. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, almost biting their fingers off in anticipation of the battle to come. Would it be the come-from-behind Naruto or the powerhouse Gohan? One thing was for sure, this fight wouldn't end until both teens were drained.

Genma stepped forward. "Ready?" he asked, probably unnecessarily in his opinion. Both of the kids had grins on that said they were looking forward to this more than anything.

"I dunno," Naruto said to his opponent, popping his knuckles, filling the air with cracks like firecrackers. "You ready Gohan?"

Gohan massaged his neck muscles, popping the bones in his neck. The dull popping was audible even to Genma. "I guess so. Are you?"

"Let's do it!"

"Uzumaki Naruto vs. Son Gohan!"

The crowd went silent at the jounin proctor's words.

"Begin!"

Naruto jumped back, flinging a volley of shuriken to cover himself, hands folding into a hand seal a moment later. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Gohan leaped above the shuriken only to find his landing spot covered with clones. 'Aw crap. I can't tell the clones from the original. Guess I'll just have to get rid of them until one says ouch.' Hands seized his ankles. "What?"

The clones had formed a human ladder, using it to grab hold of the floating boy's feet. The ladder rotated, the movement being amplified like a whip, slinging Gohan through the air towards one of the walls. The saiyan tried to dislodge them, but Naruto was using chakra to hold onto him. No matter what Gohan did, his opponent remained unmovable.

He slammed into the wall, not terribly hard, but still, it was enough to rattle his teeth. Gohan shook off the collision, but his eyes widened when he saw the cloud of orange coming at him. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"Uzumaki-ryu! Uzumaki Naruto Rendan!"

The clones plummeted.

"Don't think so!" Gohan's fingers went to the sides of his face. He needed time to deal with _all _the clones. "Taiyoken!"

Blinding white light flashed, as brilliant as the sun, stripping every clone of sight. Before they knew what had happened to them, the whole leaping mob exploded in a wave of white smoke. Those who managed to shade their eyes in time saw Gohan shoot out of the curtain of haze into the sapphire sky.

"KamehameHA!"

The blue and white streak shot into the center of the arena, blasting every clone from existence in a massive concussion, the real Naruto tumbling head over heels into a bush, where he stuck, upside down. Gohan landed in front of him. "So much for your clones, Naruto," he said with a grin.

Naruto grinned right back. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A huge puff of smoke later and Gohan was once again outnumbered a hundred to one.

* * *

Up in the Hokage's box, the Kazekage yawned widely beneath the scrap of cloth that covered his lower face. "How boring," he commented to Sarutobi. "This Son Gohan person has totally outclassed Uzumaki Naruto."

The Sandaime chuckled. "I wouldn't count Naruto out just yet. He's been known to pull more than a few miracles from his sleeve at the last second."

"Surely you jest, Hokage-dono," the Kazekage answered, gesturing to the arena floor where Naruto's clones were being picked apart by Gohan one-by-one even though the black-haired saiyan was more than capable of steamrolling the clones beneath a tide of power. "They know as well as you and I that Son Gohan could rip Uzumaki in two."

"Maybe, but Gohan-kun is not the type that will needlessly squash opponents or flaunt his power." The Hokage took a pull on his pipe. "After all, strength is not the only thing in this world."

"Perhaps, but it's the only thing that matters."

Sarutobi managed to keep his shoulders from stiffening. He'd heard that phrase years ago, from one of his wayward students, Orochimaru. As far as the old Kage knew, it hadn't caught on as a basic proverb yet. "I'm sorry," he said, a horrible theory dawning in his mind. He'd had the ANBU looking for Orochimaru ever since the rogue Sannin had shown himself at the Second Exam. "Could you repeat that?"

'What if I'm looking for Orochimaru in all the wrong places?' whispered a little nagging voice in the back of Sarutobi's mind. 'What if I'm looking right _at _him?' It would certainly explain the unhealthy amount of interest the Kazekage had been showing in the saiyan below. Ever since Gohan's match, the other Kage's eyes had been dancing with some inner light.

"I only said that strength isn't the only thing in the world, it's just the only thing that matters."

"That's what I thought you said," Sarutobi said, signaling for his guards to leave. It wouldn't do any good to get them mixed up in all of this. They would only be in the way. The Kazekage…no _Orochimaru_ stared back at the Hokage. "How long has it been? Orochimaru?"

"I'm sorry?" The false Kage asked, doing a fairly convincing job of looking confused. "I think, Sarutobi-dono, that you may be going senile."

The Professor snorted. "Hardly. Drop the charade, Orochimaru. I see through you."

The other man's voice changed, becoming the smooth silky tone he knew from years before. "You saw through me earlier than expected Old Man," the snake hissed. "How did you know?"

"That phrase of yours," Sarutobi answered as he tugged at his red hat. "It was always a favorite. And the way you pay so much attention to a gifted fighter like Gohan-kun. Don't think for a second that I don't know the idiosyncrasies of my students, Orochimaru."

"I suppose I underestimated sentimentality," the Sannin admitted, pulling a sliver canister from within the folds of his robes. Sarutobi recognized it as a smoke canister. Orochimaru pulled the pin and tossed the silver tube out over the stadium. It burst above the match raging between Gohan and Naruto.

The Kages vanished, along with Orochimaru's guards, who revealed themselves to be the members of the Sound Four standing on each other's shoulders. Kage robes fell to the ground, devoid of their occupants. Orochimaru snickered as they alighted on the terra cotta tiled roof of the Kage box. The Sound Four took up their positions, molding hand seals.

"Ninpou!" They cried together. "Shishienjin!"

Lines shot between them, then a translucent purple wall shot up into the sky, making a box around the master and apprentice that were preparing to do battle. There was no way around or over it and more than likely no way under it. Screaming reached the ears of the two men. It was the crowd, screaming in fear as they came under sudden attack by unknown shinobi. They'd been sitting in disguise the entire time, unnoticed by the jounin and ANBU in the area. Now they shed their civilian guises and took up kunai, hacking and slashing at every moving person.

* * *

In the same instant, an explosion rocked the village walls as three massive snakes loomed at the foot of the ramparts, Sound and Sand shinobi running up their great serpentine lengths to jump over the walls and rain kunai on the skeleton forces assigned to protect the huge barriers. Only minutes after the initial assault, the west gate had been fallen and the doors forced open, allowing more shinobi to stream through, overwhelming the Leaf defenders and driving them back towards the Hokage's Tower.

However, while the Suna and Sound nin were fully prepared to route the Konoha-nin, they were soundly disappointed. They took the gates and much of the west side of the city, but the Konoha soldiers made them pay dearly for every inch of ground they acquired.

Then the heavy hitters stepped forward.

An entire company was busy securing house after house when someone stepped forward. Someone with a green gi, red haori, white hair, and a massive scroll tied to his back.

An Oto-nin noticed first. "It's Jiraiya of the Sannin!"

The writer grinned. "Correct! Now, here's your prize!" He bit his thumb, molded seals, then slammed his hand to the ground. "Ninpou! Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A massive explosion obscured the road, but when it cleared, a massive brown and green toad sat in the middle of the street, a pair of ridiculously long katana strapped to his back. The company took a step back.

A tap made one shinobi turn around.

He found himself staring into Jiraiya's grinning face. "Want some advice?"

The Suna jounin only quivered.

The pervert winked. "Run."

With wild terrified yells, the men did just that. Jiraiya threw back his head, fists on his hips, and laughed uproariously. "That's right! Flee little people! Flee from the mighty Jiraiya! Lord of Toads and Master of Myobokuzan!"

A low hissing made Jiraiya look up, finding himself looking into the serpentine eyes of one of the massive snakes summoned by the attackers. He whistled. "Damn! What the hell's Orochi-bastard been feeding you?" He grinned. "Last time I saw you you were only a teeny li'l garden snake!"

The snake hissed angrily and lunged, gaping jaws slamming to the ground where Jiraiya had been. "Hey! I'm not your afternoon snack!" The snake pulled its maw out of the dirt, glaring, as if it understood Jiraiya, at the Sannin who was standing on Gamahiro's head. A quick Kawarimi had been all it took to avoid the snake's strike. "Gamahiro?"

"Sure thing."

The toad reached for the weapons on its back, lifting them from the scabbards. Using only its powerful hind legs, the sword-wielding toad shot forward, slashing the snake once with each. Blood sprayed from its body as the head and part of the upper section of the snake split and fell apart. The corpse vanished before it even hit the ground.

Gamahiro slammed the swords back into their sheaths.

"And that," Jiraiya remarked with a self satisfied nod, "is how it's done!"

"It's not over yet, Jiraiya," the toad answered. "There're still two more snakes out there."

"Well then let's skewer us some worms!" The Sannin shot back. As his toad launched itself into the air towards another of the two remaining serpents, Jiraiya looked back at the stadium, his face uncharacteristically serious, a faint purple box just visible over the walls. 'Don't die on me Old Man.'

* * *

Gohan and Naruto had just bounced apart from clashing with each other when the smoke bomb had burst over their heads and Gohan caught a flash of ki he knew right before a huge purple box showed up over the Kage box. He felt his blood run cold and the Curse Seal on his neck gave a painful twinge, despite the seal that kept it dormant. He felt Orochimaru.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto asked, pointing at it.

Two Oto-nin appeared in the stadium floor, rushing at both fighters. Naruto made a new mob of Kage Bunshins and pummeled his man into unconsciousness before letting the clones string the man up from a tree by his underwear.

Gohan ducked under a stab with a kunai before driving his fist straight up into the attacker's jaw, feeling the satisfying jar of bone and bone, followed closely by the enemy's jawbone shattering. A fast roundhouse kick later and the man was laying in the middle of a gout of powderized cement where he'd slammed into the wall.

"Just what the heck's going on?" Gohan asked.

"Up here!" A voice called. It was Kakashi, Sharingan blazing, one hand beckoning both boys to the top of the wall. They wasted no time in getting there. "We're under attack," the jounin said unnecessarily as he dueled with a Suna shinobi. It was a mark of Kakashi's mastery of the Sharingan and his skill as a ninja that let him talk and fight at the same time.

"So what now?" Gohan asked as he leaned to one side and seized the arm of an Oto-nin who tried to be sneaky and stab him in the back. The saiyan's gaze never wavered as he threw the attacker away, the man's flying body meeting another one, thrown by Gai, with a dull thud, both men dropping onto their heads.

Kakashi feinted with his kunai, making the Suna-nin back up a half step. As soon as he did, Kakashi's other hand flicked into his kunai pouch and came out again with a second knife, which he threw right into the hollow of the Suna man's throat. He collapsed, suddenly boneless. "I want…"

"Kakashi-sempai!"

A cloaked ANBU appeared next to Kakashi. "Bad news!"

"What is it?"

"Sabaku no Gaara is missing."

Kakashi's bi-colored eyes widened. "What!? Where was his last known position?"

"Somewhere in the forest outside the village."

"If he gets a chance to unleash _that_ then we're all done for."

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. "What's all this about?"

The jounin turned to Naruto, looking grave. "I guess we just fight fire with fire. Naruto, I'm giving you a mission."

The blonde's face lit up. "Really?"

Kakashi nodded. "This mission is A-rank at least, which is far beyond the rank we had with Zabuza. Take Sakura, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Gohan and track down Gaara." When Kakashi looked around for the Uchiha genin in question, Sasuke was nowhere to be found. "Dammit. Where is he?"

"Feels like he's heading for the forest," Gohan answered, just managing to find the prodigy's suppressed ki in the sea of chaotic clashes. Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh well. Scratch the first order. Naruto, take Sakura, Shikamaru, and Gohan and go back Sasuke up. Make sure to catch up to him before Sasuke reaches Gaara." His arm flashed, the kunai in his hand embedding itself in the eye socket of an enemy shinobi that was trying to ambush him. The man fell dead only feet from his target. "Naruto, about Gaara. Be careful. He's like you."

There must have been some hidden meaning in Kakashi's words, because Naruto's bright blue eyes went wide without Gohan really understanding why.

"He's…like…me?" Naruto repeated slowly. As Kakashi did a Kuchiyose to bring out Pakkun, his tracker dog, Naruto bowed his head, throwing his eyes into shadow.

"Naruto?" Gohan asked.

The blond didn't respond. "He's like me…" he murmured, not hearing his roommate. "Then…does that mean he's hated by everyone too?"

"What're you…"

The back of the arena blew out, Gai standing away from the hole he'd made.

"There's your exit!" He announced proudly. "Get going!"

* * *

And so the invasion begins! Sorry this took so long. I blame Burnout Paradise for most of it. That's one of the few racing games I acutally like. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and remember, as always, to read and review!

**Glossary**

**Fuuton: Fuuryusen (Wind Style: Wind Dragon Strike): **Any readers of the Disappearance, one of my other stories, will recognize this. Hoever, unlike that version, this one is more like just a blast of air that lacerates the target when it hits something. Not very powerful with Temari's backup fans.

**Fuuton: Kazekiri (Wind Style: Wind Edge): **Another jutsu taken from the Disppearance, though instead of being a name of a sword, this one is actually a jutsu. A large blade of wind, much like Temari's usual jutsu, though a bit weaker. again, it would've been more powerful had Temari had access to her usual fan.

**Fuuton: Kaze no Kizu (Wind Style: Cutting Wind): **Taken from Inuyasha. Pretty much just a smaller version of Kazekiri, though more blades of wind means less chance of evasion.

**Ninpou: Shishienjin (Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Battle Encampment): **Needs four users to define the area of the jutsu. Once activated whatever area has been defined is then enclosed in a huge purple box. Whatever touches the box bursts into violet flames, getting instantly immolated.

**Uzumaki-ryu: Uzumaki Naruto Rendan (Uzumaki Style: Uzumaki Naruto Combo): **Naruto's combo just with a different name. Face it, it's something he would do. ^_^


	20. The Battle of Konoha

Disclaimer: Own nadda

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Gohan all dashed for the hole that Gai had made in the wall by slamming an enemy shinobi into the stone wall so hard that it had exploded with the force of a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun. Everyone made it safely outside. Well, everyone except for Gohan.

The moment he cleared the hole, a shape, its ki concealed from Gohan's senses, lanced down from above and caught the young saiyan by the scruff of his gi, the shinobi's weight and momentum jerking Gohan off balance. The teen felt his neck whiplash as his direction went from lateral to vertical in the space it took to blink.

The next thing Gohan knew, he was flying through the air. By instinct, he twisted and curled, his coiling legs and feet taking all the impact of slamming into one of the small buildings that were ranged around the arena where he'd been fighting only minutes ago. Gohan didn't get a solid look as his attacker, because the wall he was crouching on exploded outward, throwing the hero into the dirt at his first attacker's feet.

Dazed, the saiyan rolled onto his back, right as a dark shaped leaped in front of the sun, descending on him. Gohan could feel ki swirling to life around the man's hand. That snapped him out of his daze and Gohan's form flickered around the edges then vanished right as the attacker slammed to earth, a huge cloud of dirt erupting around him as whatever attack that he'd used missed its target.

Gohan reappeared in a small puff of dirt. He finally got a look at his assailants. One was a Suna shinobi with a white wrap of bandages around his head and a white veil that hid the right side of his face, a sand hirai-ate in prominent display on his forehead. The second attacker made Gohan blink twice, to make sure he really was seeing what he thought. The second attacker was a Konoha ANBU. If the young martial artist had been at all concerned about a case of mistaken identity, the way the ANBU and Suna shinobi moved together cleared all of that up.

"You're not an ANBU," he murmured. The white porcelain mask dipped in agreement but Gohan otherwise got no other acknowledgement. A grim smile spread over his face. "So I guess that means I don't need to hold back."

Both shinobi took a half-step back by reflex, but the ANBU who wasn't an ANBU recovered fast, hurling something at Gohan's feet. The saiyan's guard came up by reflex, but it was only two black balls. The saiyan was about to go on the attack when the balls exploded, dumping heavy white smoke over the battlefield, obscuring Gohan's vision.

In the next instant, the ANBU lunged at him, ki still perfectly hidden from Gohan's sixth sense. The saiyan stumbled back and that was what saved him. The glowing blue hands of the enemy only made solid contact with his right arm, instead of both of them. The moment the glowing hands touched his arm, pain surged up Gohan's arm, so intense that he cried out, his right arm, suddenly numb and unresponsive, dropping to his side, fingers dangling uselessly. The young warrior felt like a puppet with its strings cut.

The smoke cleared away as the ANBU retreated out of range of Gohan's reaching left hand. The dark-haired teen's hand clenched close enough to the enemy that he could feel the rough fabric of the shinobi's cloak slip through his fingers.

"Damn."

The ANBU landed next to the Suna shinobi, who hadn't moved since his initial attack, though that looked to be changing by the way the man's hand was flexing.

"Not bad at all, Gohan-kun," the ANBU said. Gohan's eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew that voice. He knew he'd heard it before, but the question was where had he seen the speaker before? "You recovered almost instantly, despite losing your right arm."

"What did you do to me?" The warrior demanded, trying to move his damaged limb. The arm twitched like an ant drowning in a puddle, but otherwise remained unresponsive.

"I simply cut your nerves in your shoulder," the ANBU answered, holding up his glowing hand again. "This chakra scalpel is used for unprecedented precision in surgeries and, with enough control and time, it can be used as a weapon that is more precise than even the Juken of the Hyuuga. However, it appears by the twitching in your arm that I was not totally successful in rendering you unfit for combat." The false ANBU and the Suna-nin separated, going different ways in an attempt to bracket the young Z-fighter. "Still, can you defend yourself with only one good arm?"

Gohan laughed. "Hah! You don't know me very well," he scoffed. "This isn't the first time I've been down an arm."

'But,' he added silently, 'it's the first time I've been down an arm and outnumbered. Well, I guess I'll just have to fight as hard as I can.'

"Shall we begin, Baki-san?" The ANBU asked his partner.

"I guess. I have bigger fish to fry, so let's make this quick," the veiled jounin answered. Wind began to swirl around Baki, collecting on his hand and sharpening into a blade of invisible death. "Let's go." The ANBU nodded and both dashed at Gohan, who met them in a blaze of gold light.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other part of the team was hurtling through the forest towards Sasuke, totally unaware that they'd lost Gohan, who would probably be their greatest asset against someone like Gaara. They were five minutes out from the village when Sakura noticed.

"Hey!" She called to her companions, "We lost Gohan-kun!"

"Say what!?" Naruto answered, looking surprised. "When the hell did that happen?"

"It must've been right after we left," Shikamaru answered. "Someone or something must've held him up in the village." The impromptu team stopped cold on some branches.

"We have to go back for him!" Sakura said forcefully. Most of Sakura's argument was personal, though there was a very real practical side to it. Gaara was a monster. They had all seen just what he was capable of during the Chuunin Exams. The what-ever-Gaara-was had even managed to push Gohan to his limit, if only through the sheer ferocity of his strikes. How did they, genin with only a pathetic fraction of Gohan's power, hope to stand against that monster?

"There's no time," Shika argued. "We'd be losing time that we don't have. There's no telling when Sasuke will bump into Gaara and get himself killed."

"Can you make this quick?" Pakkun said. "We're being followed you know. There's at least eight shinobi closing fast on us."

"Rank?" Shika asked, mind whirling.

"From their footsteps I'd say at least Chuunin."

"Dammit. We don't have time for this!" Naruto raged. "So what do we do!? Either way we might lose a friend!"

"Gohan can take care of himself," Shika answered, one finger tapping nervously on his leg. "Sasuke is who I'm more worried about."

"But we need Gohan-kun's power!" Sakura interjected. "You've seen what Gaara can do!"

"Hey, couldn't one of us go back for Gohan?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded, opening her mouth to volunteer when Shika cut her off.

"No good. That person would have to get past the shinobi following us. That's just asking for a fast death." He scratched at his pineapple-style hair. "Dammit this is too troublesome."

"A decision would be nice," Pakkun broke in, his voice urgent.

Shika stared intensely at the other two genin. "We have no choice, we have to keep moving." Both Sakura and Naruto looked mutinous, but neither could deny that they stood a minimal chance of getting past a group of Chuunin, who would kill first and ask questions never. Finally, they nodded. "Good. Let's go. We've lost too much time."

With that, they vanished into the thick foliage of the redwoods around Konoha.

* * *

Sarutobi stared down Orochimaru, feeling regret pass through him. Here, right in front of him, was probably his greatest failure. He'd been so proud of Orochimaru at first, so proud of all his students, that he never noticed when the pale student had gone…odd. By the time he noticed that Orochimaru was conducting his horrific experiments it was too late and the Sandaime hadn't managed to bring himself to kill his student.

Now he was reaping the rewards of that hesitation.

Explosions ripped through his beloved Konoha and the Third's eyes flicked to the outside of the hazy purple barrier where he could see Jiraiya riding Gamahiro, fighting one of the massive snakes while pillars of smoke and flame rose all over the city.

Orochimaru chuckled at the sight. "Isn't it lovely? You've been lax, sensei. You've let the peace lure you into a false security. That shall be your undoing."

The Sandaime said nothing.

The snake man continued. "I wonder. How many people will die? Will it be Kakashi? Or how about the blundering fool Jiraiya? Perhaps it will be your grandson, or maybe it will be the fox carrier. I personally think that it will be him."

"Why Konoha?" Sarutobi demanded, even as he and his student gathered the chakra they needed to try and drive each other to the grave. "Why do you need to make the people suffer?"

Orochimaru grinned. "It's the catalyst," he said simply. "You see, the world has been stagnant for far too long, sensei, and the Leaf most of all. This attack, this entire operation, is to set the world into motion. With Konoha in ruins, the other villages will be stirred up, like grains of sand in a massive hurricane." The pale Sannin spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the carnage he was spreading. "It will be war!"

"You're mad!"

The other laughed. "Perhaps. But before I sink further into my insanity, I shall end your withered and miserable life. You see, sensei, if Konoha were a house, you would be the cornerstone, the glue that keeps the façade in place. If you were to fall, the house would collapse."

Sarutobi shook his head sadly. "And that's where you fail, Orochimaru. You never did understand what it meant to stand with others. A house is made up of many different parts, all sharing an equal load. I am no cornerstone. If anything, I am the oldest and most rotted timber. Destroy me, and another will rise to the place of Hokage and the village will live on."

Orochimaru snickered. "Old and rotted? Yes. I suppose that does describe you rather well, doesn't it?" The snake flexed his hand, his knuckles popping one after another. "Shall we begin?"

The Sandaime's hands flashed through a sequence of seals so fast that the ANBU that were helpless on the other side of the barrier couldn't see. He ended with tiger. "Katon! Karyuu Endan!" A blazing river of fire spewed from the Third's mouth, the flames twisting into the shape of a dragon, the beast's furious orange eyes fixed squarely on the Sannin in front of it.

Orochimaru only raised an eyebrow as the flaming creature enveloped him, only the Sannin's feet visible beneath the torrent of flames. When it ended, Orochimaru stood just as he'd been just a split second ago, only his skin was blackened and charred until it was a blistering black covering, like a marshmallow after it had caught fire.

All color bled from the Sannin before his face and body cracked and crumbled, mud that had been hardened by the intense flames. An ominous laugh drifted over the battlefield before the tiles behind the Sandaime warped and began to melt, Orochimaru slowly pulling himself from the roof as if it was a fluid. "Impressive," the former Leaf shinobi said as he pulled himself free. "To perform a Karyuu Endan at your age. You've kept yourself in shape sensei." He slammed his hand into the tiled roof. "Seneijashu!"

Snakes poured from Orochimaru's sleeve, burrowing into the ground and vanishing, the only hint of their presence being the small portion of their bodies that could still be seen connected to the Sannin's arm. The Third stayed where he was, keeping a sharp eye on the tiles around him.

One in front of him shifted ever so slightly.

Sarutobi threw himself backwards, inches ahead of the lunging snake that had its mouth open as wide as it could go, the syringe-like fangs glinting in the sunlight. Sarutobi kept moving as snakes burst from the tiles all around him. At last the final one emerged and he was able to actually concentrate on attacking.

A single shuriken spun from his fingers then his hands twisted together. "Ninpou! Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The black metal stars suddenly multiplied, filling the air like black iron rain. A single seal from the Third sent them flashing towards his former student.

Orochimaru smirked then opened his mouth much like one of his snakes. He plunged a hand down his own throat.

Light flashed all around him, the oncoming shuriken falling to the ground, knocked out of the air by something that the Sannin held in his hand. Thanks to old age, Sarutobi wasn't sure what it was, but he had a fairly good idea. Orochimaru's arm finally stopped moving.

In his hand he held the Kusanagi, the sword of legend, whose powers were said to rival even those of a Mangenkyou Sharingan. "Let's cut to the chase shall we?" Orochimaru asked before snickering at his own pun. Once again, the Sandaime's fingers came together again.

"Yes," he answered, finishing the seals. "Let's get serious." He slammed his hand down. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

* * *

"It's no good," Pakkun said as Naruto, Sakura, the dog, and Shikamaru bounded through the forest as fast as they could. "They're catching up to us." The team had been running for the better part of a half hour and so far had yet to outdistance their pursuers.

"So let's stop and fight!" Naruto said, confident that they could take on some random lackeys.

"You idiot," Shikamaru snipped. "We're outnumbered! How the hell do you propose that we take them all out!?" Naruto blinked, but said nothing. "That's what I thought. We're not gonna be able to handle them all and guarantee that none of us will get hurt, and against Gaara, we're gonna need to be as fresh as we can!"

"So we just keep running?" Sakura demanded. "Let them catch us when we finally stop near Sasuke?"

"What we need," Pakkun said slowly, "is someone to cause a distraction. Slow them down and hold them up so that the rest of us can get away." That brought the team to a halt again, each member caught up in his or her own thoughts.

"I'll do it," Shika said finally. "I'm the only one who would stand a chance…"

"No," Sakura interrupted. "I'll do it."

"Sakura-chan!?" Naruto said, shocked. "Why you? Shika could do it…"

"We need him," Sakura answered, not looking at either boy. "Shikamaru's the only one with a real head for strategy."

"Hey!" the blond Jinchuuriki said loudly. "Are you saying that I'm not smart!?"

Sakura smiled weakly. She knew that her chances of not making it through this were high, but she was doing it for herself as much as she was for the rest of the team. Sakura still had something to prove to herself. Gohan-kun had done a fantastic job training her, but she'd still lost. And she had yet to be any use for the team. Before her training, she'd been nothing but baggage, slowing down Naruto and Sasuke as the two boys soared ever higher. "Naruto," she answered, "you know that's not what I'm saying."

"Sakura-chan?"

"I'm doing this for myself as much as I am for you guys." Sakura's fist tightened. "I have to prove to myself that I'm not just so much baggage. Ever since the team was formed, I've dragged you and Sasuke down and I can't stand that. You've always rescued me so now it's my turn to help you." Her emerald eyes blazed as she stared into the direction the enemies were coming from. "And I want to test myself. I didn't get enough of a chance during the Exam."

"Sakura-chan you can't…"

Shikamaru cut Naruto off. "Are you sure you can handle them?"

"I'll do what I can."

The genius nodded. "We have no time left. Let's go Naruto."

"But…"

"Go!" Sakura called. She faced them finally and both boys could see the determination smoldering in her eyes. "You need Shika for this more than you do me. He can figure out how to bring Gaara down. Naruto, you have the power to stop Gaara. I don't have either of those. Right now, this is the best thing I can do."

Shikamaru and Pakkun leapt away, vanishing into the leaves within moments, leaving Sakura and Naruto behind.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto hovered uncertainly behind his friend, ignoring Shika and Pakkun's cries to follow. Finally the blond grinned brightly. "Kick their asses!"

"Sure."

Naruto turned and bounced away, leaving the kunoichi alone in the woods. She didn't have long to wait. Within minutes she heard the distinct tapping of sandals on wood. She placed a pair of explosive tags on the trunk of her tree and a few of its branches then repeated the process with another tree. Then she flung herself to the ground and fixed her face into what she hoped was a scared expression. It wasn't hard. She was plenty scared enough. If she failed here, there would be no heroic rescue, no saving the damsel in distress. If she failed, she was dead, there were no two ways around it.

'Better get ready Haruno,' Sakura thought, her heart racing, 'because here they come!'

A figure burst from the treeline in front of her and stopped.

* * *

Gohan grunted as he barely avoided Baki's wind-shrouded hand, the attacking shinobi soaring passed harmlessly, his free hand blocking his chest and allowing the retaliatory kick the saiyan had sent for the man's solar plexus to lift him into the air and away from the warrior. He landed on the side of a building and clung to it like a spider.

Goku's son didn't have any time to relax. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he was rolling away from the faux ANBU who attacked him from behind. Gohan took a swipe with his good hand, but missed and the masked man vanished into the alley across the street, disappearing as effectively as if Gohan were blind.

Baki lanced at the Super Saiyan again, whose emerald eyes flashed fiercely as he leaped backwards, allowing the jounin's fist to bury itself deep into the hard-packed soil of the road. Gohan thrust out his good hand, allowing a shockwave to rip itself from his palm and slam into the Suna-nin, catapulting him down the street and into a burning building that collapsed in a shower of debris and smoke the fire extinguishing itself.

A faint pushed against his senses was the only warning that Gohan got that he was about to be attacked. He leaned, the ANBU flashing passed, but not before the saiyan caught a fistful of his cloak and pulled him back. The elite shinobi blocked the headbutt coming his way by bracing his feet on Gohan's knee and chest then dropped, closing the distance, one blue hand scraping over the saiyan's thigh even as Gohan flung him away.

A searing pain ripped up the teen's leg as the muscles in his leg were torn apart, though no external injury was noticeable, though the warrior knew that that leg was almost as useless as his arm. Baki extracted himself from the wrecked building and moved up beside the false ANBU.

"What now, Gohan-kun?" the ANBU asked, his head tilting like a curious ghoul. "You're down one arm and one leg. I'm sure even you have never faced odds this bad."

The gold-haired teen smirked. "You'd be surprised."

"I sense a great power within you, Gohan-kun. Something that far surpasses your current state." Gohan blinked in astonishment. How was it that he couldn't even feel his second level and this guy could!? His control and senses were top-notch, that was for sure. "Perhaps you should bring out this hidden power now?"

To cover his amazement, Gohan smirked, one that was worthy of Vegeta at his best. With that and the hard glare in his emerald eyes, Gohan actually bore a striking resemblance, in demeanor at least, to the prideful prince. "I don't need it to beat you down." He held out his good hand before bringing it to his side, palm down, fingers crooked. The ANBU took a reflexive step back as a ball of blue-white light suddenly blazed to life. "KamehameHA!"

The attack roared forth, the ball of ki streaking low over the ground, the power dense enough that it plowed a trough through the earth, like a ship through the sea. The two shinobi scattered, leaping into the air. Gohan moved his hand, the Kamehameha responding as it arced into the sky and vanished.

Baki started as Gohan vanished below him then reappeared behind him. One arm that was as strong as steel and as firm as marble coiled around his neck. Suddenly they pitched forwards until they were pointing straight down. They shot earthward in a blast of gold flame. The Suna-nin realized what was happening and tried to twist out of the lock, but Gohan tightened his grip, choking Baki just enough that he couldn't struggle as effectively.

"This isn't the same as Lee-san's," Gohan's voice whispered in the jounin's ear, "but it should still get the job done." The spinning duo slammed to earth in a huge gout of dirt and rock. The false ANBU was forced to hide himself or risk getting caught in the shockwave that ripped out from the impact point.

'Omote Renge?' Kabuto thought as he watched Baki and Gohan slam to earth. 'Impossible. I was under the impression that Gohan-kun was unable to use shinobi techniques.' He watched only a few seconds more before he came up with a conclusion. 'I see. He's not using taijutsu. At least, not in the sense that I am familiar with. All that was was an imitation of the Renge, a Lotus with no chakra.' He smiled beneath the porcelain veneer that covered his face. 'Though Gohan-kun cannot use our techniques, it would appear that he has several equivalents and for him, adjusting a taijutsu technique to suit him would probably be only a minor problem.' Kabuto had also chosen well in his time and place of attack.

The former Akatsuki spy hadn't really expected Gohan to leave with his team the way that they did. He'd expected them to take to the air, which was why when the hole had been blown in the wall, Kabuto had only seconds to get down the wall and snag Gohan by his collar and slam him into the ground. From there, he'd intentionally disabled Gohan's right arm. With his dominant arm out of commission, it would be far easier to take down the young warrior, even with his fantastic transformation. Now he'd lost the use of one leg as well. A lesser fighter would've succumbed by now and been killed, but somehow, the young man was hanging on. Even despite the tag team tactics that Kabuto and Baki were using, the saiyan was hanging on.

Now they were trying to lure Gohan away from the stadium and deeper into the village, since Kabuto didn't want any of the jounin that were fighting inside the stadium to come out and attack. Kabuto grinned beneath his mask, then dove on Gohan again, who was already spinning towards him to meet the attack.

* * *

"Well well," the Sound-nin said with a sneer as he found Sakura backed up against a tree, terror written all over her face. "Lookie what we have here! A little Leaf sapling and doesn't she look just damn cute!" The squad behind him chuckled sycophantically. Sakura shrank back. "Well, you must be the little diversion that your team left behind. So sad that we have to kill such a cutie." A kunai slid out of his sleeve. The shinobi held it up, the blade glinting ominously in the sun. "Now. Would you like pleasure before death? Or just death?"

Sakura trembled as the squad advanced another few steps. Then she smiled dangerously, her fingers flying together before the enemy could react. A series of huge explosions touched off in the canopy above them, then there was a huge crashing and crunching right before a section of tree came into view.

"A trap! Scatter!"

The Oto-nin scattered, shattering their formation and the mutual protection it afforded them. Before they could react, a new arrival flashed from the bushes, kunai and shuriken flying from it. Most of the attacks missed, but one man wasn't so lucky and a kunai caught him straight in the center of mass. The hit knocked him off his feet, the knife tearing straight though his body and bursting out the other side before lodging deeply into the tree.

Even as the man fell, the blur used his corpse as a springboard to soar high into the sky, more kunai flashing forth, wounding two and hobbling another. Even as the group started to rally and focus their attack in on the interloper, a fist crashed into the hobbled man's face, his face shattering under the force of the hit.

He slammed into the majestic redwoods hard enough to make the thick, tough, bark shatter into so much sawdust. The blur flew at the leader, but he wasn't as slow as the other men. He saw the oncoming fist with just enough time to twist out of the way, seize the offending limb, and hurl the new arrival through the air, towards the pink haired girl who was still crouching against her tree.

The figure passed right through the girl as if she didn't exist, then cried out as she struck the unforgiving tree. The leader felt his blood boil as he beheld whom the mysterious attacker was. "So! A Bunshin huh!? You used a Bunshin to distract us while you set off the traps and attacked from the sidelines. Impressive girly, but not good enough." He grabbed Sakura by the front of her dress and lifted her off the ground. "Now what will you do?"

White-hot pain exploded from between his legs as Sakura drove her shin into his crotch. In an instant, the Oto-nin dropped her in favor of doubling over, clutching at his damaged goods. He never noticed when Sakura's fist crashed into the back of his head and knocked him out.

The Leaf-nin stood up straight, emerald eyes flashing. Then she was amongst them again.

* * *

Pakkun blinked as a low rumble rolled over the remaining team.

"Thunder?" Naruto asked, looking into the sky as if expecting to see rain clouds hanging overhead.

"No you idiot," Shikamaru answered with a sigh, "it's Sakura. She probably set some explosive tags for those Sound guys behind us."

"Do you think Sakura-chan's alright?"

"If she isn't," Pakkun answered voice gravely, "then it's our job to catch Sasuke and make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain." The other two nodded, determination blazing in Naruto's eyes. All three gathered chakra into their legs and surged ahead, closing the distance between them and Sasuke by the second.

* * *

Kakashi slashed the neck on one last enemy, a Suna chuunin, who collapsed soundlessly at the Copy-nin's feet. Beside him, Kurenai and Asuma both were sweaty, red, cut and bruised, but nothing to bad. The only ones who were unscathed by the turmoil in the civilian stands were Kakashi, thanks to his Sharingan, Gai, thanks to his speed, and Tenzou, thanks to his training.

"Is that the last of them?" Kurenai asked Kakashi as his crimson gaze swept over the stands and the arena floor. The jounin tugged his hirai-ate back into place, sealing his Sharingan and stopping its drain on his chakra.

"Looks like it." He glanced up at the enormous purple box that enshrouded the roof of the Kage box. Through the translucent purple walls, he could just barely make out the figures of Orochimaru and the Hokage dancing back and forth, sparks flying between them as they fought with what looked like a sword and a staff. The jounin forced himself to forget about that duel. Even if he could go in the barrier, the chances of Kakashi actually being a help to the Hokage were slim. Indeed, the only ones who could probably help the old man were Jiraiya, who was preoccupied with the snakes in the village, Tsunade, who was out of the village, and Gohan, though the saiyan boy could only slow down Orochimaru, not stop him.

"Kakashi!" Asuma's voice made the other jounin jump. Apparently, the Third's son had been calling the Copy Ninja's name for some time.

"What?"

"What do we do now?"

Even Yamato stopped in his examination of the Oto and Suna bodies to listen to what his sempai had to say. "The arena's secure, so there's no point in staying," Kakashi answered, "the civilians should be into the shelters by now so that means most of our battle strength can be concentrated on the interlopers now."

"You mean…" Kurenai trailed off, an eager look in her red eyes.

Kakashi nodded. "Tenzou!"

"Sir!"

"Gather your men." Kakashi's one visible eye steeled, hardening to an unforgiving chip of obsidian. "Begin the counter attack!"

* * *

That's all folks! I don't have anything earth-shattering to say, so see you next time!

**Glossary**

**Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu): **User exhales a massive stream of flame that twists into a dragon to immolate the enemy

**Seneijashu (Striking Shadow Snakes): **A lot of snakes pour out of the users sleeves. These can be used to poison, immobilize, or bite the enemy. I figured it would be an easy task for Orochimaru to send his snakes into the ground and strike from below.

**Ninpou: Shuriken Kage Bunshin (Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu): **As the name implies, its a Kage Bunshin except with shurikens


	21. Progression

Disclaimer: Own zilch, zero, nadda, squat, jack, or anything to do with either Dragonball Z or Naruto

* * *

Naruto and Shikamaru bounced through the trees outside the village of Konoha, in hot pursuit of Sasuke, who for some reason, had gone off after Gaara, the Sand Jinchuuriki. The mood among the two genin and the dog summon that Kakashi had sent them with was dour. Sakura had chosen to stay behind to hold off the onrushing Oto-nin that had been chasing them ever since leaving the village walls.

"Damn," Naruto cursed under his breath. "Damn damn damn damn damn!"

Shikamaru didn't say anything to the blond, knowing it was a waste of time to try and keep Naruto silent at a time like this. He was worried about Sakura, and with good reason. Shika didn't know why, but he did know that Naruto, for whatever reason, was hated and feared by the villagers. The genius couldn't imagine what for. Sure the kid was annoying and troublesome, but had potential. Even an idiot could see that, since he had improved by leaps and bounds beyond what he'd been capable of in the Academy.

'What're you hiding Naruto? Why does everyone despise you?'

The fact that everyone hated him also explained why Naruto was so concerned about Sakura. She, Gohan, and Sasuke were really the first friends that the blond had ever had, and Shika was certain that, were he in Naruto's shoes, he would be thinking the same thing.

"Hey!" Naruto called to Pakkun. "How close are we!?"

"Getting there," the pug answered. "I think only a few more minutes."

The genin's hand flexed. "Good."

* * *

Sakura ducked a punch, blocked a knee, then launched up in a vicious uppercut. She smiled as she felt the Oto-nin's jaw shatter beneath her hand. His eye rolled back and he fell, boneless. Sakura wasn't sure if he was dead or not. She knew the others were injured. They were moaning and groaning, and a few were motionless. The two in front of her backed up nervously.

"How's a girl like you this powerful?" One demanded.

"It's unfair!" The other complained.

"You outnumber me and you say _I'm _not being fair?" Sakura said with giggle. "Man, Orochimaru needs to find better help." Two clones burst from the bushes. Both men took swipes at them, taking their concentration totally off Sakura. The clones vanished like the shadows they were, but before either Oto-nin could do anything, Sakura seized their heads and smashed them together. They dropped, out cold.

Noticing that the threat was gone, Sakura sank to her knees with a sigh. She was tired, and her limbs were shaking from too many close calls and the adrenalin high she was riding. She hadn't gotten off unscathed either. She had a few good gashes on her arms, a punch had made her eye swell halfway closed, and she was deathly tired, but that didn't surprise her. She had been using her chakra to augment her muscles after all, and she didn't have much in the way of reserves. She had improved, that was true, since with Gohan's vicious training it was impossible not to, but she still didn't have enough for a prolonged battle.

"Gotta work on that," Sakura muttered as she stood.

A cool edge laid itself across her throat.

"Too bad you'll never get the chance," a voice said in her ear. Sakura's eyes widened when she realized that it was an Oto-nin. There were in fact nine of the Sound shinobi.

'The lookout,' Sakura realized as the blade broke the skin on her neck. 'The one who usually stays back for this kind of situation. Dammit, I was careless!'

"Never forget that your enemy will always keep one man in reserve," the Oto hissed. Sakura could practically feel him grinning. "Now you die." The kunoichi's eyes closed as she felt the blade press harder against her throat.

Screaming filled the forest.

* * *

"Begin the counterattack," Kakashi said as he watched plumes of smoke rise from the village beyond the walls.

"Yes sir!" The others, even Tenzou, said, before scattering to perform their tasks. The scarecrow sighed. He didn't like fighting. He'd rather be spending his time reading Icha Icha, but now he had a job to do.

"Sorry, Obito," he murmured. "I can't be late this time."

Kakashi vanished. He already had a feeling of where he should be heading.

* * *

"Last one," Jiraiya said with a grin as the last summon snake fell under Gamahiro's keen blades. The massive toad sheathed his blades. "Nice job, Gamahiro."

"I never miss a chance to slice up some snakes," the summon answered.

"And who doesn't?" Jiraiya asked, laughing again. His laughter died quickly as he looked around the village. "This isn't good. The village is in pieces." He could smell the stench of burning flesh mixed with the acrid, sooty, scent of burning buildings.

"So now what?" Gamahiro asked.

Jiraiya looked back at the stadium. He could still see the translucent box. He could also still feel his sensei's chakra clashing with Orochimaru's, though the Sandaime's was much weaker. "The Old Man needs help."

"On it."

Before the Sannin could say anything, Gamahiro was in the air, soaring towards the box above the stadium. Jiraiya didn't really want to fight Orochimaru, not when so many others needed his help more, but at the same time…it would be nice to show the snake bastard a thing or three.

* * *

Gohan grunted as the ANBU hit him hard in the stomach. He was gone and out of range before the Super Saiyan could respond to the attack, other than the initial recovery.

"I don't know why you keep pushing yourself, Gohan-kun," the ANBU said, cocking his head like a curious dog. "It's perplexing really. Anyone else would've realized the futility of fighting with only one good leg and one good arm."

The saiyan didn't answer. He only scowled, trying to get his ragged breathing to even out. And it wasn't like he could run anyway. These two would only track him down again.

'Sorry everyone,' Gohan thought. 'It looks like I won't be joining you any time soon.' Baki and the ANBU came at him again and Gohan fazed out, rushing to engage the two before the situation could get any worse.

* * *

Sakura blinked as the man holding her hostage started screaming. When the knife vanished, she dared to look back. It was a sight to behold. Black creatures were swarming all over him, moving ceaselessly. It looked like he was wearing a coat of shifting darkness. His eyes were wide with horror, his mask stretched as his mouth opened as wide as it could. Sakura noted that the blackness wasn't blackness, but bugs with shells that were darker than the night sky.

"Never forget that your enemy will always keep one man in reserve," said a new voice. A figure emerged from the bushes, someone with a high-collared cream-colored cloak, dark round sunglasses, and gravity defying black hair. Bugs were crawling over his face and coat, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Shino-san!"

"Sakura," Shino answered. He glanced at her. Sakura could feel his eyes pass over her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks for coming along when you did."

The bug user nodded, but otherwise didn't reply. Sakura watched as his kikaichu left the Oto-nin and crawled back to their master, climbing up his pants and under his jacket. Sakura couldn't see where they were going and quite frankly she didn't want to know. The Aburame were able shinobi, but they were damn creepy.

"What're you doing out here?" Sakura asked.

Shino motioned for her to follow him and leapt into the trees. Sakura huffed, irritated at being ignored, then followed after him.

"I'm going to find my opponent," Shino explained, once they were moving.

"Opponent?"

"Yes."

"From wh…." Sakura suddenly remembered that Shino's opponent in the Exams was supposed to have been Kankuro and he'd forfeited before the match had even begun. Hell, she remembered, Shino didn't even get to walk down the stairs. "Never mind. So how'd you find us? You weren't at the stadium when we left were you?"

Shino shook his head. "I was, but I got…distracted."

Sakura took that to mean that he'd been attacked.

"So I planted a female kikaichu on Naruto. She's letting off a strong pheromone that the male kikaichu can follow anywhere. That's how I was tailing you guys, but when you decided to stay and fight, I figured I would back you up." Sakura blinked. That was the most she'd ever heard Shino speak.

"Uh. Thanks."

"Let's go."

They picked up the pace as they bounded through the trees.

* * *

"Kukukukuku."

The Sandaime tried to sit up, but found that the point of the Kusanagi in his face prevented him from doing that much. Orochimaru also stood far outside the reach of the Hokage's legs so sweeping him was out of the question and Enma was tied up a few feet away, struggling against his snake bonds.

"You lose, sensei," Orochimaru cackled.

The Third didn't deign to reply. That only made the snake man laugh all the harder. The Kusanagi swung up, and the Third knew that it was going to come down on him and cleave his head in two.

A huge explosion rocked the stadium and threw Orochimaru off balance. The Third seized his opportunity and kicked the blade away then pushed off the ground, flinging himself into the air to alight on his feet. The explosion turned out to be a huge toad that both men recognized immediately as Gamahiro, one of Jiraiya's larger buddies.

"Have no fear, Jiraiya-sama is here!"

The Sannin himself landed just beyond the barrier. He struck a pose.

"Women love me! Men envy me! And Snake Men should cower in fear of me!"

The Sandaime facepalmed as Orochimaru burst out laughing. Veins started twitching in Jiraiya's face and forehead. "Hey! What the hell's so funny!?"

"Why should I fear what is of no consequence?" Orochimaru asked, still chuckling. "You can't do anything outside that barrier, and even if you tried, then you would just be turned into ashes."

Jiraiya grinned as he pulled a scrap of paper and an ink brush out of his gi. "Well, then you won't mind if I give it a shot, right?" He inked out a fast seal, and Sarutobi noted that it was too fast to be a new seal.

'Has he studied this technique?' The Third and Orochimaru wondered at the same time. 'How can that be?'

"Lemme tell you something, Orochi-bastard," Jiraiya said as he stashed the brush and tore off the paper. "Barrier techniques work on the same principle, no matter what they are, and no matter what their abilities. Try and alter that basic principle and you no longer have a barrier. You said that this barrier will turn me to ash, which means that it has properties of fire. If I put a normal seal on there, then the barrier will just immolate it. However, if I add a few extra properties to the seal, it won't burn and it'll still be able to do its job. So, by nullifying the basic barrier principle _and _the fire properties, you can open a hole in the barrier." He grinned again. "Was that too tough for you? Here. Lemme show you!"

Jiraiya slammed the seal parchment to the barrier. It sparked and spat angrily for a few seconds, then the tiniest of holes opened. Orochimaru looked stunned for all of two seconds then broke out laughing.

"Poor Jiraiya. Even when he succeeds he fails," the snake cackled. "I can only imagine what it's like for you, you stupid buffoon."

"I dunno," Jiraiya said as he stepped through the massive hole that had opened up in the barrier while his former friend had been too busy laughing to notice. Orochimaru's face was a mask of shock, rage, and disbelief. "You tell me."

The seal burned up and vanished, the hole closing right up.

"You always did take things at face value," the toad-summoner said, cracking his knuckles. He bit his thumbs and slammed them to the ground. "You've hurt the village, my sensei, and you were always insulting Minato. It's long passed time that you got what was coming to you, you jerk. Ninpou! Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Two puffs of smoke erupted from the Sannin's hands and when they cleared, two small and old toads were squatting in front of Jiraiya.

"Well, if it ain't Jiraiya-chan," one toad remarked, his voice deep and crinkly with age and smoking. "Been a while."

"Hey Pa," Jiraiya answered.

"So what's an old senile buffoon like you want this time?" the other toad demanded. Jiraiya scowled, but he didn't answer. This wasn't the time.

"That's what I want," Jiraiya answered, pointing at Orochimaru.

"Ah," Fukasaku said. "So, you want to use that do you?"

Shima, the woman toad, looked cheeky. "But Jiraiya-chan doesn't like that, because it makes him look ugly and it scares off all the ladies that he's always chasing." Jiraiya smeared the blood on his thumbs onto the marks on his face, extending them and making the look sort of like the letter P.

"Don't have a choice. I'm gonna grind that bastard into the ground for everything he's done to his team, his sensei, and everyone he's hurt." Both toads glanced at each other before shrugging.

"Have it your way, kiddo," Fukasaku said as he and his wife hopped up on Jiraiya's shoulders. Jiraiya grinned the slammed his hands together, as if praying.

'I hate this form,' Jiraiya thought, before he cleared his head and allowed the energy that filled the air and everyone and every_thing_ around him to flow into him. His skin darkened to a deep and swarthy brown as warts sprouted all over his skin, and especially on his nose, which swelled up like a balloon. His eyes turned gold with a horizontal slit for a pupil. It looked oddly like a toad's eyes. "Here we go. SAGE MODE!"

"Oh?" Orochimaru said, quirking an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter what form you use, Jiraiya. You're still nothing but a baboon reaching for the moon."

Jiraiya's toad-like face contorted into a grin. "We'll just see about that. Bring it on, snake boy."

"I shall, Jiraiya of the Sannin, and when we're through here, one of us will be dead." They charged like rabid bulls, the Kusanagi sweeping up in a wide arc as Fukasaku's tongue shot from his mouth like a bullet.

* * *

Gohan cried out as he struck the ground hard and bounced a few times before skidding to a stop. He tried to push himself to his feet, but his arm gave out and he collapsed again. He was winded. The ferocious tag teaming he had to put up with was sapping his strength faster that he ever thought possible. A weak 'dammit' crossed his mind before the haze he'd learned to associate with passing out began to creep up on him. He was totally numb, except for a sharp burning that was beginning on his neck, around where his Cursed Seal was. What Kakashi said about his will keeping the seal he'd used to counteract it came back to him.

'I guess with my passing out and everything, it's weakened, so now the Cursed Seal's getting stronger.' He blinked, and this time he had to struggle to open his eyes again. The dirt in front of him was turning red, probably from the cut on his forehead. It wasn't major, but it was bleeding profusely, making it hard to see.

"Too bad, Gohan-kun," said a voice from above him. It seemed so far away. "Orochimaru-sama expected great things from you. I guess my data about your transformation was off by a significant amount." It was the fake ANBU, or so Gohan thought. The haze was creeping up on him. He couldn't even see the ground in front of him anymore.

"He fought valiantly," huffed Baki, nursing the bruise on his stomach. Gohan had managed to hit him particularly hard and the jounin was coughing up good-sized bits of blood. He probably had internal bleeding of some kind. He would have to track down one of Suna or Oto's medical shinobi before heading off in pursuit of Gaara. "I had no idea the Leaf had men such as him."

"He fought bravely," the ANBU agreed. Gohan's head cleared for a split second and he could feel that the ANBU was near his foot. In a sudden surge of strength, Gohan's foot flashed up in a heel kick that the ANBU managed to dodge, but not before his mask was smashed by the hard bone of Gohan's heel. The momentum flipped Gohan onto his back. Shock surged through his once again numb body as he recognized the face above him.

"Kabuto-san," he whispered.

The medic smirked, his Oto hirai-ate standing out proudly on his forehead. "A noble attempt Gohan-kun, but too little too late. You should've run when you had the chance. This battle was decided the moment I took your arm and leg."

Gohan didn't respond. He didn't even have enough energy to keep his head off the ground. He had pushed himself too hard, running himself into the ground, fighting when he knew the odds were bleak. Kabuto raised his glowing hand, and Gohan thought that he could just barely see a blade of faint blue light extending a little past his fingertips.

"It's a shame that you'll die here, but if Orochimaru-sama was to use you as his body, he might lose, and he needs a body that is powerful. If you cannot defeat me without an arm and leg, then you aren't deserving of being his body."

"Why….why the…hell…would I…be…his…b…body?" Gohan grunted, both against his own exhaustion and the burning in his neck, which was getting fiercer by the second. For some reason, Gohan could also feel the haze that plagued him beginning to fade. The world was coming back into focus and the Super Saiyan swore he could feel new strength surging into him.

Kabuto shrugged. "Oh well. Die, Gohan-kun."

His hand descended as if in slow motion. Gohan chuckled weakly. Slowly, Kabuto faded from his sight and Mt. Paozu came into focus.

* * *

Goku, hale, healthy and very much alive, was standing on the doorstep to his house, right next to Piccolo. On Goku's left was Vegeta, arms crossed across his armored chest, and his permanent scowl in place.

"Dad! Piccolo-sensei! Vegeta-san? What are all you doing here?"

Vegeta stepped up to Gohan and belted him across the face, flinging him into the small shrine that stood in memory of Gohan's namesake, Goku's grandpa Gohan. The small sanctuary collapsed in a cloud of rubble.

"You call yourself a Saiyan warrior?" Vegeta demanded. "You're getting beaten by that bastard punk!"

"But he…."

Vegeta kicked him across the hill that Gohan's house sat on. He skidded the length of the yard and stopped right near the entrance to the forest where Gohan played and trained. "Saiyans never give up! Never! We stood up to some of the most powerful beings in the universe and _killed _them all! No one could stop us! Even Frieza himself feared us!"

"That's enough, Vegeta," Goku said gently, putting on hand on his friend and rival's shoulder. Vegeta spat at Gohan then blasted into the clear blue sky, vanishing in a flash of gold flame. The elder Son helped his son to his feet. "You know, Gohan, I don't agree with Vegeta most of the time, but he does have a point. You're giving up too easily. Would you have stopped like this when Cell was around?"

"No! Of course not!" Gohan said vehemently.

Goku grinned. "That's my boy! So why give up now? Just because this Kabuto guy has you down and out, you're still a Super Saiyan, right? More important that that, you're my son! I have faith that you can win. So stand up, fight, and win! If you don't this guy will kill your friends, right? So why let him?"

"Remember you training," Piccolo said, stepping up to Gohan's other side. "You're in another dimension, boy, but you're still my student and I know I didn't train a wimp. Your father didn't train a wimp. Show him the power that hides inside you." Both Goku and Piccolo, along with Mt. Paozu, began to fade.

"But I can't!" Gohan called as gray fog descended over them. "I can't use it! My powers are limited by that seal!"

"You'll find a way," Goku answered, his voice faint and echoing, as if from across a canyon. "I know, because you're my son and I believe in you."

* * *

Gohan was lying on the cold dirt of Konoha again, the hand of Kabuto descending on him.

'Show him my power…' Gohan thought, repeating his father's words. 'I don't know if that was an illusion, a hallucination, or if it was real, but I can't let my father down!' The boy's fist snapped up on its own accord, batting aside Kabuto's hand, as his foot flashed from its position on the ground, sweeping out the traitor's feet. He pushed into the air and back to his feet. The searing in his neck was receding and new strength was flooding Gohan. His aura was in place, chirping like a flock of birds, lighting the ground around him, despite the sun, and it was even pushing small depressions in the dirt near his feet. Gohan's arm still dangled uselessly, and his leg ached furiously, but he had a second wind.

"Impossible," Kabuto breathed as he rolled away from the saiyan. "You were about to die! I felt it!"

"And that was what did it," Gohan answered. He smirked. "Push me into a corner and you'll get hurt." The power that was flooding him wasn't Super Saiyan Two, but the hidden potential that he had yet to unlock, the power that only reacted when he was in the most desperate of situations.

"Interesting. Is there any limit to what you cannot do, Gohan-kun?" Kabuto asked, that look of being unwillingly impressed on his face.

"I can't bring the dead back to life."

Kabuto snorted. "Perhaps you could if you were there with them." He and Baki rushed Gohan together.

"You're really something, Gohan," said a new voice. Both onrushing shinobi started and abandoned their assault. A new arrival leaped from a nearby rooftop to land in a crouch in front of Gohan. He straightened up and Gohan caught a flash of a black mask and flyaway silver hair.

"Kakashi!"

"Yo." His eye curved in a smile. "Nice to see you're hanging in there, but you look tired." Kakashi held up a hand, palm out for a high-five. "How about a swap?"

"Sounds good." Gohan slapped the proffered hand, a gesture of handing off. "Tag in." Kakashi tugged up his hirai-ate.

"Now then," he said lightly, though hard eyes drilling in on Kabuto and Baki. "How will I punish you for picking on a friend of mine?" His voice was lilting, like he was asking a question. "I know!" His hands flashed through a series of seal sequences. The chirping of birds filled the air as a handful of lightning blossomed in his palm. The hard scent of ionized ozone followed soon after. "How about I kill you both?"

He darted at them, a blur even to Gohan.

"CHIDORI!"

Gohan didn't stick around to see what was going to happen. Kakashi was older than Gohan was, which meant more experience, which meant, in turn, that the jounin could handle himself better than Gohan could. Besides, the young saiyan wasn't used to two on one battles. Kakashi was and he probably could pull out a stunning victory. Gohan was used to the knock-down-drag-'em-out boss battles that tended to degenerate into one on one battles that had the fate of the world on his shoulders.

'Hard to believe I actually want Cell or Frieza or someone like that to show up.' The Super Saiyan thought as he launched himself up into the clear blue sky that was partially obscured by a haze of smoke.

Kakashi smiled as Gohan took to the sky. He was exhausted and not used to two v one battles. It was a sign of how gifted he was as a martial artist that he'd been able to hold on as long as he had. Now he was more baggage than help and was able to swallow his pride to get out and give Kakashi one less thing to worry about.

"You've been left alone, Kakashi-san," Kabuto remarked as he watched the golden trail vanish into the sky.

"Maybe, but I can handle myself," the other answered easily. He held up a kunai that reflected the light of a nearby fire and the sun rather merrily, which made it look all the more dangerous. "You wanna see?"

Kabuto grinned dangerously, eyes obscured by light reflecting off the lenses of his glasses. "Please do. Let us go, Baki-san."

"Sorry," The Suna jounin answered as he leaped up onto the pinnacle of a mound of debris that had been a building. "But I have to find the Kazekage's kids. I can't be bothered by another whim of yours, Kabuto." He vanished in a swirl of wind and sand grains, a Suna Shunshin.

Kabuto was furious, but he didn't let it show on his face as he and Kakashi continued their face off. "Too bad," Kakashi said with a laugh. "Good help is so hard to find, isn't it?"

"Clichés won't help you here, Kakashi-san," Kabuto answered silkily.

"Maybe, but they're cliché for a reason, right?" Both flickered, vanished, then reappeared high above the ground, kunai grinding together in a clash of sparks. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he realized that Kabuto was quite deliberately not looking at him in his Sharingan.

'Well, Kabuto isn't a retard, so I guess I should've expected that,' Kakashi thought wearily as they landed and sprinted at each other, limbs and kunai flashing as they tried to score hits on each other. The Sharingan lent Kakashi a distinct advantage in that department, but Kabuto was skilled enough that he could keep up, even without a Kekkei Genkai. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

"Well, you're not as stupid as you look," Kankuro said to Shikamaru and Naruto. They'd finally caught up to Sasuke, only to see the Uchiha send clones in every direction with no way to tell the real one from the fake, then Kankuro had used that confusion to make his move, attacking with the puppet that had more tricks and traps to it than a funhouse of mirrors. Shikamaru's mind was already whirling as he tried to come up with a way passed the puppet, but so far he hadn't come up with anything aside from the fact that the puppet had a three hundred and sixty range of attack out to about a hundred feet. Outside that, its movements got distinctly more sluggish and slow. Kankuro himself, the source of the attacks, was making sure to stay well within a circle of sunlight that he'd made with the blades hidden in every joint of that damn puppet.

Shika's shadows were all but useless as they crossed that circle. The Nara would've ground his teeth but that would've been too troublesome and it would've detracted from any time he could have spent trying to figure a way out and they were losing time getting back to Sasuke.

"Get out of our way!" Naruto shouted.

The Suna genin laughed. "Sorry, can't do that. Temari'll deal with that emo friend of yours and I'll kill you here, then Gaara will smash your village and we can be done here, so letting you passed me will be kind of counter-productive."

"We have back up," Shikamaru said, letting the implications hang, while at the same time, keeping the fact that their back-up was Sakura, who was either dead or too tired to be of much use. Still, the genius reasoned, what Kankuro didn't know didn't hurt him.

Kankuro laughed. "Somehow I doubt that." His fingers wiggled and the puppet hanging suspended in the air clinked and clattered hollowly, like it was laughing at them, but there wasn't much it could do, since Naruto and Shika were both outside its range.

"Hey Shika," Naruto muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "how're we getting around that thing?" They could try going around, but Shika was sure that the way around had been booby-trapped, which left the only safe way through as going through Kankuro.

The image of Ino's vicious defeat at the hands of the puppet master made something stir deep within Shikamaru. The genius knew that it was anger and it surprised him. He was usually so apathetic that he felt nothing but annoyance and laziness on any given day. The stir of emotions within him lit a fire underneath him that sent warmth spreading to every limb and suddenly Kankuro ceased to be a human in Shikamaru's eyes but a target and a puzzle, something that was to be analyzed, dissected bit by bit, then finally taken down and killed. "Naruto," Shikamaru answered dangerously, eyes backlit by anger, "leave him to me. You go on ahead and catch Sasuke."

"But…"

"Don't argue. I have something to do here," Shika answered. "Make as many Kage Bunshin as you can fit into this space here and send them across all at once. I'll take it from there."

Naruto blinked, but nodded, fingers already folding together into the characteristic cross-shaped seal. "Taiju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The concussion that close to a hundred clones made in appearing in such a narrow space almost knocked Shika off his feet, but he stayed upright, his own hands already moving as the cloud of orange took to the sky, leaping over Kankuro and his puppet. The Suna boy's hands were moving in response as well. The puppet's mouth dropped open, and then opened some more as kunai filled the air like black rain. Clone after clone popped and disintegrated, but more than enough, along with the original, made it passed him.

"Ninpou! Kage Mane no Jutsu!"

The shadow around Shikamaru's feet darkened then shot out like a bullet, stretching for Kankuro, who suddenly realized his mistake and leaped to the back edge of the pool of sunlight. The puppet clattered and clacked angrily as the shadow shot into the sun, then stopped and dissolved.

"Keh. Looks like you can't go into the sun, just like Temari said."

"So she was the one who told you," Shikamaru observed. "Figures. I didn't think you were smart enough to figure it out by yourself."

Kankuro twitched. Not much, but it didn't slip past Shika, whose eyes were watching for every slight twitch and flick, anything to clue him in to Kankuro's mannerisms and personal habits. 'Oh ho? Does our little friend here have an ego?'

"Does it matter?" Kankuro answered, though his eyes narrowed in a hate-filled glare, further confirming Shikamaru's suspicions. "I'm gonna kill you and that will be that, so does it really matter?"

A plan began to take shape in Shika's whirling mind. "Well, we'll see about that."

* * *

Kakashi and Kabuto clashed, then bounced apart again, both flinging kunai to cover their escape. They landed and began another stare down. "You'll have to better than that, Kakashi-san," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses with his middle finger. Kakashi was sure that the gesture was deliberate. It wasn't offensive, but was meant to be taken that way.

"Just wait," Kakashi answered, crimson eye flashing. "I'll do better."

They sprinted at each other again.

* * *

"My my. You've certainly gotten a bit better haven't you?" Orochimaru asked as he ducked a swipe of Fukasaku's tongue, noting in the back of his mind that the speedy appendage split the tile behind him as easily as the Kusanagi could.

"I can't take all the credit," the warty Sannin answered. "These two here are a big part of it."

"It doesn't matter. In the end, both the babbling baboon and the senile old monkey will die and that will be the end of that," Orochimaru shot right back. "This will be a day long remembered. We will see the end of Konoha, the Sandaime Hokage, and Jiraiya of the Sannin." Former friends went at it again.

* * *

In the training ground that Team Seven liked to frequent, a female ANBU stood from squatting at the stone, where she laid a single white lily flower. "Hayate," she murmured, "I swear I'll avenge your death." She pulled her mask in place, becoming one of the elite and faceless protectors of Konoha.

"All is in readiness," Tenzou said from behind her. He and the rest of her team were waiting for her, letting her have her moment. They knew how much she hurt from her loss and were willing to wait. It meant more than she could ever say. "The regulars have begun the push. The Sand and Sound are on the run. One final blitz and we should push them out of the village entirely."

The team nodded.

"Let's go."

"Sir!"

The five ANBU vanished silently, only the mute swirling of leaves announcing their departure.

* * *

So ends Chapter 21. Sorry it took so long. I meant to have it up earlier last week, but finals, packing, and catching an airplane got in the way. Yes, I am on summer break and looking for a job now, so only time will tell if updates will speed up any. I think that this chapter was fairly good, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. How will the battles turn out? And wehn will Nartuo vs. Gaara start? Truthfully, I think it might be either late next chapter or the chapter after. I dunno though. This story pretty much writes itself, I don't have a specific plot laid out. I just say 'I want it to go this way' and my imagination (twisted as it is) does the rest. Oh yeah.

A lot of people have been asking if Gohan will get his tail back. That answer so far is no. This is Cell-Arc Gohan, who didn't have his tail, but you never know. If it doesn't happen, though, fear not. Maybe I'll do an extra chapter at the end or something that doesn't fit into the main story to satisfy people's curiosity. Also, people want to know if more DBZ charachters will be appearing in the story. That answer is a definite no, since there's not a way to get them from DBZ world to Narutoland. However, I am planning on putting Piccolo in the sequel, for reasons that will remain classified for now. I may or may not add more characters. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Whew! Long AN, but that's the end of it. See you next time

~WingedFreedom622

**Glossary**

**Kage Mane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Jutsu): **A unique technique to the Nara and the Nara alone. It uses the user's shadow to capture and control an enemy's movements with their own shadow. Has a time limit of about five minutes and is the set up for several other shadow techniques.

**Sage Mode: **It uses Sage Chakra to enhance the user's physical capabilities. So far, only Jiraiya and Naruto can use it. For specifics, I encourage you to look at the Naruto Wiki or read the more recent manga chapters. It's a long and involved explanation that I'm not going into here. Think of it as a Spirit Bomb without the Bomb part.

**Suna Shunshin:** It's a Shunshin jutsu that uses sand to hide the user's path of travel instead of leaves, water, ice, wind, or some other thing like that.


	22. Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Disclaimer: I own Gohan! Wait...no I don't...I don't own anything as a matter of fact.

* * *

"I'm sorry," the nurse said to Gohan as she straightened from checking his leg. "The muscle damage was easy enough to repair, but the cut to your arm goes to the nerves and slices all of them." The young warrior felt the blood rush from his face.

"So you're saying you can't fix it?" He asked, dumbfounded. If he couldn't use his arm then he might as well rip it off. A limp appendage would only be a hindrance to him. Following Kakashi relieving him, Gohan had flown straight to the hospital, hoping to get fixed up and back in the game. His leg and minor wounds had been healed easily enough, but the arm was a problem. The nurse had tried to find different ways to fix it, but alas, there was nothing she could do.

"I can't, no," she answered, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from her brow, "but there's one person who might be able to."

"Who's that?"

"Have you heard of Tsunade of the Sannin?" She asked, glancing at the window as a new explosion touched off in town. The fighting had recently worsened and explosions were getting more and more frequent. Gohan was used to them and didn't spare a second glance after he made sure that no debris was flying at them.

The teen frowned. "It sounds familiar, yeah," he answered, though for the life of him he couldn't place where he'd heard the name. "She can fix it?"

"Yes," the nurse answered with a firm nod. "There's nothing that Konoha's Patron Saint of the Hospital cannot fix!"

"Where is she?" Gohan asked. The nurse's face turned downcast.

"Unfortunately, Tsunade-sama is out of the village right now. No one knows where she's at and apparently she's been gone for years. I doubt even Jiraiya-sama knows where she is, and he was one of her teammates."

"So what do I do about my arm?" Gohan asked, feeling frantic. The only hope for his arm was gone!? What the hell kind of a doctor was this Tsunade person? Who abandons their friends when they're needed the most?

"It's okay," the nurse answered in an attempt to be soothing, but she was still using that cautious optimism that doctors often used and it wasn't doing anything to calm the saiyan's rattled nerves. "The attack that sliced your arm was done very carefully. Only the nerve was cut. No tendons, arteries, muscle, or skin was damaged. You should consider yourself lucky. As long as the muscle, skin, and arteries are attached and whole, your arm won't atrophy."

"It won't?"

"Well," the medic said quickly, covering her own tracks, "the muscle will deteriorate, but that's only natural when you don't use your arm. Have you ever broken a bone and had to put it in a cast?" Gohan shook his head. He'd had plenty of broken bones, but after whatever battle had taken place, he usually popped a senzu bean or went to see Dende and get patched up. "But really, we don't have to amputate or anything. Unless you want us to?" The nurse got a sudden eager glint in her eye that made Gohan sweat nervously.

"Uh, that's okay," he replied, backing away from the nurse's ominous aura. He swore he heard her mutter something like 'amputations! Yay!' "I don't want to bother you."

"Oh it'll be no trouble at all," the nurse answered, still encroaching on him, hands held up in front of her, like Roshi did when he was advancing on a woman. "Just a snip or two here and there and you'll be as right as rain!" Gohan decided that he hadn't imagined the earlier remark about amputations. "I can even get the knifes out now if you want?"

"Uh…BYE!"

Gohan vanished.

"HEY!" The nurse shouted as she suddenly realized what had happened. She turned around, the gloom palpable in the air around her. "Poo. No one wants an amputation."

Gohan stood on the edge of the hospital's roof. "Phew," he muttered, wiping the nervous sweat away with his still functioning limb. He looked down at his shoulder, biting his lip in apprehension. He felt strangely lopsided as he watched his poor appendage dangled uselessly. He couldn't feel his fingers and no amount of straining was going to make them move. He'd probably crap his pants before his numb arm would move again. Well, if he was going to get back into the fray (and he was) then he would have to tie his arm down so it didn't get in the way as much. The hospital had linen sheets on lines on the roof. Some were blackened from smoke residue from nearby battles. Gohan avoided those and pulled one off the line that was crisp and white.

He tore it into long strips then sat down and pulled his arm into his lap. The linen strips went around his wrist, looping several times through his hirai-ate on his waist and he pulled a longer one around his stomach and tied it to his elbow. Cinching the makeshift bandages up, he stood and whipped his body around to test the hold. By looping them in figure eights, the bandages held his arm in place without allowing it to slide around and become cumbersome. When he slid his gi top over the arm, the short sleeve flapped uselessly, but it was like his arm was merely folded inside his gi. It was like the character Gohan had seen in a game that he'd seen Oolong playing. Final something.

Gohan stood, closing his eyes. He had to find where the battle he needed to be at was. He could just sense Naruto and Sasuke out way beyond the village. That had been his original mission. Before he'd gotten distracted by Kabuto and that Suna guy Baki, he was supposed to be supporting Naruto in his search for Sasuke.

"Hope I didn't miss anything," he muttered as he took to the sky, rising high above the village before streaking off in a flash of blue with a roar like a jet engine running at full blast.

* * *

Orochimaru ducked a snaking tongue from Fukasaku, jumped to clear the Sandaime's darting pole, then spun to slash at the old man's back. The clone vanished in a puff of smoke then Jiraiya was on him, the half-toad man driving hard with his fists, using every kata he knew in an attempt to land a blow on Orochimaru, who twisted and contorted out of the way like the snakes he so idolized. Trying to land a blow on him was like trying to hit lightning. No one had managed that feat, if you discounted the story about how Kakashi had supposedly used that Chidori technique of his to slash a lightning bolt in half. Orochimaru doubted it heavily. There was no way in hell that a Jounin was that fast.

The tongue whipped at him again, and this time Orochimaru, caught up in his thoughts as he was, didn't dodge in time. The slimy body part slashed his cheek open, red blood spraying across his pale skin, soiling it. The Snake Sannin stopped, touching one hand to his cheek, eyes wide with surprise as he looked at the crimson fingers.

"What's wrong, Orochi-bastard?" Jiraiya asked with a smirk. "Surprised? Lose your focus during a battle and you'll get cut."

"Hn. How amateur," Orochimaru responded, keeping his irritation in check, but only barely. His own tongue darted out of his mouth and licked the slice clean. He grinned sadistically when he was done. "Getting all worked up over such a small wound. I hope you enjoyed it, Jiraiya, because it's the last wound you two are going to put on…" Something hard smashed into his spine, bowing his back forwards as his head and feet went back. Spots danced in front of the Sannin's eyes as he flipped over the object and landed in an undignified heap on the roof. He got up, face flushed with embarrassment and rage, but more rage than anything else. Jiraiya was outright laughing as Orochimaru looked around for the source of the attack. It was a short search.

The Sandaime was standing off to one side, the long black and gold pole in his hands retracting back to its usual length. Orochimaru ground his teeth. These two old farts were getting on his nerves. He left out the fact that, technically, he was as old as they were. "You always did talk too much," Sarutobi said with a shake of his head. "Nice to see some things never change."

"You old bastard!" The Sannin howled, his tongue whipping out at the old man, intending to give him a quite literal tongue lashing. A small, narrower, and faster tongue intercepted him, beating his own back. It was that damned old toad that was sitting on Jiraiya's shoulder again. The two proceeded to duel with their tongues, the…appendages whipping out and back, curling around each other and spraying saliva all around. Fukasaku was definitely more skilled than the Snake Sannin, as the technique was his primary method of attack.

A huge gash erupted on Orochimaru's chest, spraying blood like a burst hose all over the place. "GAAAAAAA!"

Jiraiya's disgust was written all over his deformed face, as it was with Sarutobi as well. "HA!" Fukasaku crowed happily. "Take that, you creepy bastard!"

"That's disgusting Pa," Shima retorted. "It's nothing to be proud of you know!"

"That's not what you said last night!" The other answered with a vindictive air.

Shima's orange skin went a shade or three darker. "You old lech!" She shrieked, right in Jiraiya's ear, much to the Sannin's chagrin. "I oughta come over there and kick your old and withered ass for a tasteless comment like that!"

"As if you could, you old bag!" Pa Toad shouted, in Jiraiya's other ear this time. It was like they were using his head for a loudspeaker, Jiraiya thought helplessly as he swayed to the right from the force of the yelling then back to the left as Shima retorted. Contrary to popular belief, and one that Jiraiya wasn't about to correct, he actually did have something between his ears. It helped both his intelligence gathering for Konoha and his peep…_research_ for his book if people thought him old and senile.

"I ain't that old yet, Fukasaku!" Shima shouted. "I'm still young enough to kick you around!"

"Ha! You couldn't kick the broad side of a barn, old and withered bitch!"

"You can take old and withered and shove it! You're older than I am, damn pervert! Jiraiya-chan here's been rubbin' off on you!"

"Please leave me out of this," Jiraiya muttered.

He was ignored.

"Shut up! I'd rather spend time with Jiraiya-chan than with an old hag! You're more old and withered than Tsunade-chan, and trust me, without that genjutsu of hers, that's _saying _something!"

Jiraiya's patience reached its limit.

"SHUT UP!" He screamed.

"YOU SHUT UP!" Both toads shouted together, mashing fists into his still-open mouth. Jiraiya spluttered, spitting madly as he tried to get the foul taste of old toad skin out of his mouth. He would need a truckload of mouthwash after this.

"In case you haven't noticed," Jiraiya answered, voice trembling with forced calmness, "we're still in the middle of a battle, so if you could wait to have your lover's spat somewhere else, I'd appreciate it!" He kept his eyes on Orochimaru, who was quickly recovering from the gash in his chest, his face serious. "And for the record, you're both more old and withered than Tsunade."

Two lumps blossomed on his head as Fukasaku and Shima walloped him at the same time.

"For once we agree on something, Jiraiya," Orochimaru said as he eyed the Sage Mode Sannin.

"You wanna piece of this!?" The two toads shouted in unison again, both flipping the Snake Sannin the bird. "Come get some!" Orochimaru snickered.

"Gladly."

He rushed Jiraiya, getting too close for the Sandaime to lash out with his staff and keep the snake man at bay. The two Sannin became a blur of flashing fists and feet, fighting with unbelievable speed and power. The tiles under them fractured and split from the crushing chakra waves rolling off them. The battle reached a crescendo, both men going even faster than they'd ever seen the other move.

Jiraiya slipped a fist past Orochimaru's guard, burying the attack in his enemy's gut. Orochimaru gagged as he was lifted off his feet. At the same time, a ball of chakra blossomed in Jiraiya's hand, spinning out of control, a hurricane contained in a ball, shining with barely withheld power.

"Rasengan!"

Pain erupted from behind Orochimaru's eyes, searing his nerves, his stomach burning like it was getting torn out of him. Oh how it hurt! Blood was spraying everywhere, splattering Jiraiya, but he paid no mind as he dug in, forcing his hand deeper into his former friend's abdomen. Winds, savage and biting, ripped out from the Rasengan, tearing the tiles to pieces, shattering the wood timbers under that, and throwing Orochimaru away.

The world became a blur around the megalomaniac as he spun through the air like a top. Some distant part of his mind noted the Sandaime's hands flying together in some kind of seal sequence. The roaring in Orochimaru's ears was too loud for him to hear what was said, but the old man spitting mud from his mouth was a good clue.

Orochimaru smashed into the wall that had formed from the jutsu, his head splitting and ears ringing. He staggered out, dazed by the attack. He looked up just in time for his vision to be filled with the dark staff that Enma the Monkey King had transformed into.

Jiraiya winced as he watched Sarutobi put Orochimaru through the roof of the Kage box. "Ouch," Fukasaku muttered.

"You said it," The Gama Sennin answered. "Nice hit, Old Man," he added to the Hokage as the old man came over to stand beside them.

"Not nice enough," the aging leader answered as the tiles shattered again, Orochimaru striding out from the dark cloud that was billowing up from the area.

"It wouldn't be much fun if the bastard died that easily anyway," the other remarked. Orochimaru brushed one hand across his tattered stomach then began laughing, a creepy psychotic one that distorted his whole face. The man's jaw dropped open wider and wider, like a snake trying to swallow something larger than it.

White hands, slick with slime, reached out, grabbing Orochimaru's cheeks and pulling the whatever it was out. Jiraiya had to fight down the urge to puke as Orochimaru climbed out from within himself and fell to the ground, the slime and viscous fluids that coated his body and clothes rolling off him to make a putrid puddle on the ground.

The first snake man crumpled, pooling on the ground like clothes that had been abandoned by some careless child.

"Disgusting," Shima muttered, clearly put off by the abhorrent display. Orochimaru pulled out two kunai with spell tags dangling from the rings in the hilts.

"Two on one is a little unfair, don't you think?" He asked. "Let's even the odds." Two coffins rose up out of the ground and the Sandaime and Jiraiya got ready for the next phase of the battle.

* * *

Shikamaru threw himself out of the way of the rain of kunai that Kankuro's puppet was unleashing on him. Each kunai that hit the ground left a small dark puddle around it. Poison. It wouldn't be good for him to get hit by it. There was more than likely more than one poison in those knives, ranging from snake venom to cyanide and other, more deadly, concoctions, many of them probably unique to Kankuro and only Kankuro. If he got hit, he was done for. There were no medics out here to help Shika if he did get hit and by the time he made it back to the village, it would be too late.

Still, Kankuro was falling for Shika's plan, hook line and sinker. The lazy shinobi was running all through the circle of light, allowing the kunai to land all around him. It was a simple plan really. Once the circle was filled enough, Shika would step back and use a family jutsu to end the battle. He kept taunting Kankuro to keep him mad and away from Shikamaru's plot.

"Hold still, dammit!" Kankuro bellowed as a needle trap, a spring-loaded sphere that belched senbon from tiny holes, failed to hit Shika. The genin got lucky with that particular trap. The only needed that would've found him had bounced off his hirai-ate. At least the thin armor plate was good for something other than simple identification.

"That's no fun." Shika shot back, dodging a swipe from a blade hidden in the puppet's forearm. The troublesome thing had more tricks than Naruto on his best day. Disabling it, or severing Kankuro's connection to the thing, would work wonders for the genin's lifespan. It took another ten minutes, but finally Shika's plan was coming to fruition. The circle was covered with kunai, each one casting a miniscule shadow. Time was on Shika's side. If it had been noon, the sun would've been right overhead, but it was just after, so the sun was on its way down to the other side of the world. The shadows had lengthened, no more than an inch, but it was enough for the shadow-user. "And it's not my fault that you're a lousy shot."

"You….!" The painted man ground out through clenched teeth.

Shikamaru threw himself backwards and the two boys landed outside the circle with Karasu, the puppet, in the middle. The puppet clacked and clattered idly but it seemed to have run out of projectile weapons.

"Guess it's my turn," Shika murmured, his hands coming up. "Ninpou! Kage Mane no Jutsu!"

* * *

"You're weak, Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara said to his adversary. The young boy was beaten up, bleeding, his right arm broken, and he probably had a few fractured ribs, if the searing in his lungs was anything to go by. It didn't help that that damn seal had spread over his body, paralyzing him. The angry black flame marks were burning on his skin, covering half his body, and marching inexorably forward, despite Sasuke's best efforts. His brother's voice, that damn bastard Itachi, was whispering in his ear every time Gaara spoke and the creepy raccoon himself was beginning to look like the pale and haughty elder Uchiha. Sasuke had an odd feeling of déjà vu but couldn't tell where he'd been in a similar instance.

"I'm…not…weak!" Sasuke ground out, trying to get a coherent phrase out from the haze of pain he was in. He'd been in pain before. That thing with Haku came readily to mind, but it still didn't hurt nearly as bad as this did.

"Yes you are," Gaara answered, voice dead and icy. "You're nothing. An insect. A fifth rate shinobi trying hard to measure up to those superior to you and failing." He grinned madly. "It's amusing."

'Amusing?' Sasuke asked himself. 'Is that all I am? Amusing? Someone to indulge in their deluded fantasies then laugh at?' Gohan's face flashed through his mind, the onyx eyes hard with determination, then Itachi's face, the Sharingan blazing at him from the shadows of the house where his parents had died. "No."

Sand coursed down Gaara's arm and hardened into some kind of claw with vein-like purple markings all over it's exterior. "Yes. All you are is a bug. I would much rather fight Son Gohan." That made Sasuke jerk, like he'd been slapped. Son Gohan. Son Gohan. Son Gohan. It all came back to _SON GOHAN!!_ Sasuke's life had been so much better before that bastard showed up!

"Don't…compare me to him."

"In a moment, it won't matter what you want me to compare you to. Now." His eyes widened, backlit with a mad light. "LET ME FEEL ALIVE!" The claw shot out, the sharp points shooting right for Sasuke, who felt some kind of agitation steal over him. It couldn't end like this! He still had to kill Itachi! Beat Gohan! Prove to Naruto that he was still inferior to the Uchiha! He still had things to do in this world!

"I can't die yet…"

A black streak flashed from behind Sasuke, lodging in the sand with a small thump, then the tag wrapped around the hilt began hissing like embers from a fire meeting the water. The concussion from the explosion nearly threw Sasuke off the branch, but the explosive tag did its job, dissolving the hand and turning it into a shapeless mass of writhing sand grains.

Gaara and Sasuke both looked for the source of the attack. It wasn't hard to find. Naruto stood on a branch above and behind Sasuke, arms folded proudly over his chest.

"Whazzup Sasuke?" He asked, as if he was the greatest shinobi in the world.

"The…fuck are you doing…here?" The Uchiha ground out as Naruto leaped from his branch to Sasuke's.

"What's it look like?" Naruto shot back. "I'm savin' your ass!" He glared at Gaara. "Are you the one who did this to him?"

The other Jinchuuriki glared back. "And if I am?"

Naruto leveled a defiant finger. "Then I'm gonna kick your ass!"

* * *

Gohan streaked low over the trees, parting the canopy in his wake, the tips snapping back and forth with the dry rubbing noise of leaves coming into contact with on another. It sounded like the forest was applauding the teen's decision to go after his friends. He'd hesitated just briefly on his way over, when he'd felt a tremendous spike in ki somewhere back towards the arena. It had taken some thought, but he was almost sure that it was Jiraiya, the Sandaime, and Orochimaru. He was sure it was Orochimaru. Not many people in the world made him feel like taking bath just by feeling out their ki.

Then Sasuke's ki had started fading and he'd gotten back on task. Only a few more miles remained between him and his friends.

"Please let me get there in time," Gohan muttered, his words swept away by the roar of the wind in his ears. He scowled and his aura flashed even brighter as he shot away with renewed speed, the forest becoming a carpet of green velvet beneath him.

* * *

Kabuto grunted as Kakashi's kunai slashed into his arm, not deep enough to slash muscle, but enough to send blood flying, soaking the sleeve of the traitor's robes. "Impressive, Kakashi-san," Kabuto said with a smirk, but inwardly he was scowling. The Sharingan was proving to be a real problem. That was the reason that Kabuto had expected Baki to stick around to provide back up, since the Uchiha bloodline wasn't meant to be used against someone in two-on-one combat and would significantly nullify the advantage Kakashi gained from it.

Unfortunately, Baki had proven to be as reliable as the sand in a hurricane.

Kakashi didn't deign to answer him, instead flinging a volley of shuriken at the traitor, which were quickly avoided. Kabuto smiled nastily as he congratulated himself on an excellent evasion, but his smile vanished as Kakashi blurred into being in front of him, kunai already slashing towards his neck. Kabuto wasn't fast enough in his evasion and the kunai opened a small cut on his neck that leaked blood. A quick pass with a healing jutsu solved the problem but it robbed Kabuto of chakra that he didn't have to spare. Apparently, he noted, as his knees quaked a little, he'd spent too much chakra attempting to keep up with Gohan-kun. It was a miracle he had been able to, even with the young warrior deprived of the use of one leg.

The jounin noted his enemy's problem. "Looks like Gohan was a little too much for you, huh?" he remarked easily enough, nothing escaping the gaze of his Kekkei Genkai.

"I thought I disabled him enough," the other admitted with a self-depreciating shrug. "Apparently I, like many before me it seems, underestimated Gohan-kun's tenacity and his…rather large reserves of strength." Kabuto began searching for a way out. Kakashi's Sharingan consumed a massive amount of chakra, limiting its time of use and its effectiveness, but even with that limitation, Kakashi was smart enough to watch that and Kabuto was already low on chakra. Kakashi wasn't at one hundred percent either, but he wasn't as low as Kabuto was either. A war of attrition was something that Kabuto couldn't win, and that was what this battle was degenerating into. There was also his physical condition to consider. Kakashi was infamous for his ability to slaughter enemies with the minimal amount of motion required. He'd brought it to an art form. Kabuto was already getting fatigued and needed to recuperate. Kabuto preferred to dispatch his foes with one shot. Against a more-experienced shinobi like Kakashi, who was not only a highly experienced shinobi, but also a former member of ANBU with the Uchiha's coveted bloodline.

The chances of that one blow were close to nothing.

Kakashi decided to force Kabuto into a more favorable position. He was going to use an old trick that he had used once before. It was tough, since he couldn't use hand seals, else he would tip off Kabuto and would require two different clone jutsu, which was very difficult to sustain. The reason Kakashi had only used the strategy once was that he'd almost passed out in the middle of a tough battle because the strain on his inner coils was tremendous. If he managed to kill Kabuto now, then it wouldn't matter.

The scarecrow set about gathering the required chakra. He was ready. Kakashi tried not to show outward strain as he pushed the two jutsu out in front of him. Thankfully, Kabuto seemed to be more interested in looking for a way out than fighting him at the moment. By the time the silver-haired genin was done plotting his escape, Kakashi's clones were in position. Kabuto opened his mouth to speak and Kakashi made his move, feeling perspiration soak the inside of his mask and the black jounin's uniform.

Kabuto's foot swept upwards, kicking the rushing jounin in the chin.

Kakashi vanished like a cheap hologram as another Kakashi lunged forward, stabbing with a kunai. Kabuto grunted and rotated again, sweeping his other foot up in a follow through. His shin smashed into the jounin's head.

Kakashi popped in a flash of shinobi smoke.

"What!"

The chirping of birds filled the air.

"Chidori!"

Kabuto suddenly realized he'd been had. The first clone had gotten him committed to an attack, the second clone setting him up, and now the real Kakashi, or a third clone, was capitalizing on Kabuto's sudden vulnerability.

Kakashi's hand ripped through Kabuto's chest. The genin sagged, lifeless, as Kakashi wrenched his hand free. That was when he noticed that something was wrong. The blood that was soaking his arm wasn't fresh. It was congealed, as if the genin had been dead for a day or so.

Laughter floated to the jounin on the air as he kicked over the body. The face wasn't Kabuto's. It was someone that Kakashi had never seen before.

"Isn't it interesting what you can do with a simple Kawarimi?" Kabuto's voice asked. "I'm glad I had the foresight to hide a body nearby for just this type of emergency." Kakashi glanced around for any sign of Kabuto but he knew that the voice could be projected with anything from ventriloquism to hidden mikes in the corners of buildings. "It's like Sakura-san said. Don't discount the basics, Kakashi-san." The voice laughed again as it faded.

Kakashi sank to his knees as the strain of the trick hit him. He suddenly realized why he never used the combination. He felt like he could sleep for two weeks as it was now, but he still had things to do, like repelling an invasion. He glanced at the sky. Gohan had passed over some time ago, coming from the direction of the hospital. Kakashi surmised that he'd gotten treatment for that leg and arm that had been made useless. Now he was going after Naruto and the rest.

"Get there, Gohan," the jounin muttered as he pulled his hirai-ate down and popped a soldier pill to get him on his feet. The boost of chakra was appreciated and needed. There were still enemies to kill after all. "They will need the help."

* * *

"Kage Mane no Jutsu!"

Shika's shadow shot out like a bullet stretching thinner and thinner as it sped for Kankuro.

"Keh. You're useless," the Suna genin snorted. "That won't work!"

Shikamaru only smiled as the shadow stopped, going as far as it could, quivering like a dog on a leash.

"See?"

The shadow darted to the left, into the shadow of a kunai and shot forward with renewed speed.

"What!?" Kankuro shouted, suddenly realizing his mistake as he watched the kunai dart from shadow to shadow, gaining length and speed with each pass. "Shit!"

"Looks like that dumbass sister of yours didn't figure this out, did she?" Shikamaru asked with a smirk. "And when I'm done here, she's next." His face darkened. "She'll pay. I'll make her sorry she ever set eyes on Ino."

Kankuro's fingers wiggled and wires suddenly glinted in the sun. They yanked on the handle of every kunai and senbon, pulling them from the ground and back behind Kankuro. Shika's shadow suddenly quivered and stopped, taking all of the young genius' concentration not to let it dissipate.

"So why waste time on me?" the painted genin asked.

Shikamaru's smirk widened. "I had to make sure I could take you bastards by myself, without Chouji and Ino to back me up. This is my grudge and no one else's." His fingers flashed through another few seals. "And I'm not done yet!" The shadow became extra thin and darted into one of the holes left by the kunai. It shot into the hole then out again and kept going.

"Damn!"

Kankuro leapt backwards, Karasu forgotten as he tried to keep out of Shika's trap.

"I win!" Kankuro crowed as Shika's shadow whipped past him. "Now it's your turn to die!" He wiggled his fingers.

Nothing happened.

"What?"

Nara Shikamaru smiled grimly. "Kage Mane no Jutsu…successful."

"H…How?" Kankuro demanded, even as he tried to fight off the paralyzing technique. Shikamaru turned his head in answer and Kankuro's head turned as well, mimicking the Leaf-nin's movements. "No way!" A tendril of shadow was extending from the bushes off to the left and Kankuro was willing to bet that it snaked through the shadows of the forest undergrowth to the bastard Leaf guy's feet.

"Who said Kage Mane was my only family jutsu?" Shika asked. "There's three that we use. The first is Kage Mane. The second is the one I used to tag you just now. Kage Nui no Jutsu. And the third is…." His hands flashed again. "Ninpou! Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu!"

The shadows under Kankuro's feet became like water and shot up his body.

Kankuro screamed as ethereal hands clamped down on his neck and began squeezing. Within seconds, he slumped, unconscious, as Shikamaru released the jutsu and walked over to him, looking down at the faintly blue Suna-nin dispassionately.

He sighed and gathered chakra into his hands before bringing them down on Kankuro's chest. The other genin gasped sharply and began breathing again. Shika stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked away.

"You're only the test subject," Shika said to the unconscious genin. "I don't have any grudge against you." His gaze steeled. "But your sister won't be so lucky." He vanished into the trees, moving to catch up to Naruto and Sasuke.

A wind blasted over the trees not too long after, Gohan racing to catch up to Naruto as well, but he never noticed Kankuro as leaves rained down on Kankuro's limp form.

Kankuro had found out the hard way one of the Nara Clan's favorite phrases.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

* * *

Well now, that's most of the battles wrapping up. Now all that's left is Orochimaru vs. Jiraiya and Sarutobi, then Gaara vs Naruto and assorted friends and perhaps a little Shika vs Temari if I get around to it. So yeah...anyway, sorry this was a few weeks later than usual, but blame summer vacation and Falcon 4.0 Alllied Force. Damn I love that simulator! It's about as close to flying a real F-16 as I can get. That's been taking up a lot of my time too, ehheheh. Hey, I'm a pilot, what do you expect?

**Glossary**

**Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu (Shadow Strangle no Jutsu): **Another version of Kage Mane, it allows the user to choke out thier opponent by making the shadows become hands and go for the throat. A sufficiently strong person is able to resist it.

**Kage Nui no Jutsu (Shadow Sewing): **Kage Mane except with many different attacks, but here Shika only used two, the frontal attack and the one that came in from the side.


	23. Degeneration

Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing

On a personal note, I got to meet _The _Captain Hillstrand of America's Deadliest Catch today! The guy is so laid back and casual!

* * *

"Damn this guy's tough!" Naruto grumbled as he leaped and ducked like a man possessed, trying to get an attack in edgeways while avoiding a deathblow from Gaara. It was proving to be a difficult proposition. That damn sphere of sand foiled any attack and Gaara, with his amazing extendo arms, had the advantage in terms of range.

But Uzumaki Naruto would not be swayed.

No one, not Sasuke-bastard, not Gohan, not even the fucking Yondaime Hokage himself, could stop Naruto once he set his mind to something. This battle would end in Naruto's victory and nothing else. Losing…no _failure_ of any sort, was unacceptable. Especially with his chief rival watching.

Naruto launched another attack, this one of the shuriken variety, but again he was foiled by the insurmountable shield of sand that seemed to work both independently of and in conjunction with Gaara's will. The blond was desperately trying to come up with a way to get around the shield, but for the moment he was flummoxed. Naruto just didn't have any jutsu that could pierce something like that, nor did he have the excessive speed that was needed to get around the barrier before it could form.

"Damn," Naruto swore as the shield stopped his attack cold, then he gaped as the stars sank into the wall of yellow grains. The whole mass, absorbed weapons and all, slithered and slunk its way down Gaara's arm, like some kind of mutant amoeba. "Oh hell no! You've gotta be kidding me!"

The Suna Jinchuuriki grinned madly as his sand formed that bizarre claw again.

"DIE!" He shrieked with a voice that was less than human. Naruto's own attack was thrown back at him, the stars wrapped inside small globules of sand grains.

Naruto leapt backwards, crossing his arms over his vitals in a vain attempt to shield himself. He cried out as red gashes ripped themselves all up and down his body, the kinetic force of event the glancing blows throwing him in a maddening corkscrew that threatened to send him tumbling to the ground below.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, watching his teammate fly off the branches. He tried to move to help, but the second he did, the black flames seared again, glowing an angry orange before advancing another few inches. He had to stop and force them to a halt again. He realized that it would take all of his power just to remain in control of his body. "Damn it," the Uchiha hissed, cursing his own helplessness. He was _weak!_ After so much sweat, blood, and toil, he was still too weak to do a _damn_ thing about anything! The frustrations he felt by being caught by Naruto, surpassed by Gohan, and encroached on by Sakura finally tore themselves from his throat in a long, drawn, plaintive scream that echoed off the trees, who stood by in mute and deaf testimony to what was transpiring in their timeless boughs.

Gaara's insane laughter underscored the scream, mocking him, mocking the Sharingan, impotent at this long range, and mocking the Uchiha and all their sacrifices.

_I'm superior, _the laughter seemed to say. _You thought you were a gem, but you were just a dirt clod, and now you've caused another death._

"Damn!" Pakkun hissed. "I can't smell Naruto anymore…but how is that possible…_unless!_" He whirled, nose twitching like it was on speed, but his answer came a split second before.

"Uzumaki Naruto Ryu! Uzumaki Rendan!"

A group of five blurs dropped from the canopy, all plummeting towards Gaara.

"What!?"

A long arm of sand flashed out, sweeping the clones aside, but one had launched itself higher than the other two. It landed heavily on the arm, dashing up the appendage like it was no danger. A second claw emerged only yards ahead from Gaara and shot out.

Shuriken spun from Naruto's grasp just before the claw slammed into him, popping him like a bubble. The sand shield erupted, to protect its master from harm. The two shuriken exploded, twin Narutos erupting from the haze. Each rebounded of the sand shield and rained more weapons down on Gaara's head. The sand shield expanded, but in doing so it thinned out it thickness to cover more ground. Each Naruto grinned then one brought its hands together.

It became a kunai in a puff of smoke as the remaining clone grabbed the weapon and hurled it after throwing a tagged kunai. The tagged kunai detonated on impact and the last kunai flashed through the hole before it sealed. The kunai thunked into the wood inches short of Gaara's foot. The Suna Jinchuuriki had no way of knowing what had transpired with the two clones, his vision blocked as it was by his defensive measures.

He howled with laugher. "Again you fail, Uzumaki Naruto!"

The kunai at his feet vanished in a burst of smoke.

A fist flashed out, too close for Gaara to react, and even if he could, he knew no taijutsu and would've been hit anyway. The fist ground itself into Gaara's chin, lifting the container from his feet, throwing him across the battle area. He slammed into a tree hard enough to grind bark into powder and crack the hard wood.

"Got him!" Sasuke gasped, both from surprise and relief. Gaara _wasn't _invincible, someone who could only be beaten by another titan of strength and speed. If Naruto could do it…dammit why could he? What the hell was missing that Sasuke was so impotent!?

_You simply lack the power, _a silky voice whispered in his ear…or at least Sasuke thought it whispered. _But Orochimaru can supply that power. All you have to do is forsake the Leaf. Turn your back on Konohagakure and everything could be yours._

Sasuke shook the voice off…but didn't shut it up. Maybe all he needed was a little training under a Sannin. Just a little.

"Dammit!" Naruto swore, vehement. He was nursing a hand and the pug tracker given to them by Kakashi noted the suddenly pungent scent of Naruto's blood. A few crimson drips and a dangling hand told the story. Naruto had split his knuckles open on Gaara's chin. That in and of itself was understandable. Hitting someone or something barehanded would indeed split flesh and draw blood, which was why so many shinobi wore gloves or bandages, but at the same time, it shouldn't happen with just one blow. Academy students were put through sessions with a makiwara board for just this eventuality, to build up calluses on their knuckles that wouldn't tear so easily. "It's like hitting sandpaper!"

Gaara was back on a branch, his chin dissolving as the sand armor he'd gathered around himself at the last second cracked, discolored, and then fell away from his face. It looked like he was made out of ice that had been dropped into warm liquid. A claw shot forward, moving with inhuman speed.

Naruto could only brace himself for the impending crunch of sand on bone.

Nothing happened.

"Jeeze," Gohan remarked, holding back the tide of grains with his good arm. "I'm always bailing you out, Naruto." He grinned to let Naruto know he was teasing.

Naruto laughed in return. "Oh shut the hell up and stop acting so cool." A pulse of ki blew the sand away. "Thanks. Now if you could get out of my way, I'll get back to the beat down."

"I think you need help," Gohan answered, looking concerned. "I mean, I had a hard time with him, you know."

Naruto shook his head. "No!" he replied firmly, "This is something I need to do myself! I mean… you and Sasuke and Lee and Neji and everyone else have always been so superior to me. Ero-sennin was great when he was training me, but I still don't know how well it worked."

Gohan suddenly understood. "I see. This is a field test."

The other nodded. "Alright then," Gohan agreed. "Go get 'em. But if you need help, all you have to do is ask." Naruto looked startled that Gohan would agree so readily then he grinned ear-to-ear, not noticing Gohan's lame arm. In truth, Gohan was relieved. He was feeling tired and wasn't sure how long he could go with Gaara. His time at the hospital hadn't given him much time to recuperate.

"You got it!"

Sasuke, however, didn't let such a detail slip by him.

'His arm…he can't use it? He was using it just a few hours ago.' Something inside him surged and the Curse Seal advanced far enough to be noticeable, but no one did. Gohan was too busy focusing on Gaara, watching Naruto's back, and Naruto was, understandably, distracted by his battle.

_This is your chance, _a voice whispered to him, soft and silky, like a snake tongue tickling his ear. _You feel inferior to him right? You're inferior to Itachi for sure. Defeat this one in combat and you take one step closer to Itachi._

'A stepping stone,' Sasuke thought back at the voice. He wasn't sure if he was hearing voices, never a good sign, but he couldn't deny how it laid out its case. Gohan was indeed a stepping-stone, a method of reaching Itachi. Hell, Gohan might very well be leaps and bounds above the Uchiha's brother, but nothing ventured nothing gained. Sharingan in his eyes, Sasuke's paralysis left him, but the Seal didn't. It was powering him up, drawing out his top level, his best, his utmost. Even Gohan would be hard pressed to stop him.

Gohan, to his credit, wasn't totally unaware of what Sasuke was going through. He could hear a whisper in the wind, like a person was shouting across a very great distance and Gohan was just barely in earshot. Nor was he unaware of Sasuke's condition. He remembered all too vividly what had happened the last time those flame marks had showed themselves and now Gohan had to be extra careful, since he possessed one of those seals himself and if he didn't watch it, he would end up like the Uchiha across from him.

Nevertheless, he only just avoided the kunai that shot past him and embedded itself in the trunk behind him.

"Sasuke!"

He didn't get anything out after that because Sasuke was on him like a rabid animal, punching and kicking like his life depended on it. It was all Gohan could do, off balance and down an arm, to keep the Uchiha at bay, a feat not made any easier by his Sharingan. It wasn't like last time either. Last time, Sasuke had been hallucinating about his brother. This time, the clarity in Sasuke's eyes showed the other fighter that he knew exactly what he was doing.

Gohan's stomach leapt into his throat as his foot slipped off the bark of the tree. He dropped, instinctively reaching for his ki to fly back up, but a second later decided to run with it, to get his guard back up. So he rolled and pushed off the branch's bottom, shooting for the ground like a bullet. He frowned as he heard Sasuke giving pursuit, on him like an attack dog. A quick glance showed Sasuke's eyes burning with hatred and determination.

Gohan slammed into the ground and rebounded, streaking at a tree's trunk then rebounding again, turning around and flashing back at the pursuing Uchiha. Gohan's superior speed had paid its dividends, with the young saiyan far enough away that he was able to land a solid blow to the Uchiha's midsection, throwing him away with a satisfying thump of bone on soft flesh.

Sasuke twisted like a cat to alight on his feet. With no flight ability, Sasuke was wide open and Gohan obliged, dashing low over the forest floor, reaching Sasuke the second sandal touched rotting leaves. A leg flashed out and hit nothing. The renegade Uchiha had sent a colossal surge of chakra into his legs, the surge smashing into the ground and detonating, throwing the Uchiha clear like he'd been hurled by the earth itself.

Gohan's arm and legs began flashing through close-combat techniques, knees and elbows that would take off the head of anything unfortunate to be caught in the way. Again Sasuke's Sharingan allowed him to stay one step ahead of the game, and he didn't seem fatigued in the least by his exertion of his chakra. As a matter of fact, it was beginning to swirl about him, purple and almost physically reeking of Orochimaru.

"Sasuke!" Gohan grunted out as he took blow after blow on the meat of his arm and thighs. It cushioned the assault, but didn't make it any less painful. If anything it meant he would hurt longer, since cuts hurt all at once but bruises left the young warrior aching for weeks on end. "Stop it!"

"Shut up!"

The barrage intensified. Goku's son could feel himself slowing down, his blocks coming into place slower with each movement, his attacks gradually losing steam. He had no time to transform and Sasuke didn't seem eager to give him the chance. Just when Gohan thought that he would cave, a figure burst from the bushes nearby and tackled the Uchiha off of him.

"Sasuke stop it!" Sakura screamed as she beat back the other member of the team with the very techniques that Gohan had been teaching her only the day before. Sasuke sprang back like a cornered panther, bleeding from a split lip where Sakura had grazed him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Get out of the way!" Sasuke thundered. He was interrupted when a collision sounded from the canopy and Naruto and Gaara tumbled down from the upper reaches in a waterfall of sand. Naruto landed hard on his shoulder, but Gaara was saved at the last second by his omnipresent sand.

"Dammit," the blond cursed as he tugged himself upright.

Sasuke took a quick glance back at the two and Gohan took the opportunity to flash into Super Saiyan, but as soon as he did, he realized that he still hadn't recovered much from his throw down with Kabuto. His injured leg was sore, arm still limp, and his ki was dropping by the second. Never mind that he was a Full Power Super Saiyan. Its drain on his body was down to even less than bare bones minimums, but it was still there and Gohan was beginning to feel it (along with the bruises he'd accumulated within the last day or so. Hard to believe it wasn't even two in the afternoon yet).

Already Gohan's breathing was rough in his ears and his pulse was pounding hard in his neck. He lunged at Sasuke as fast as he could, pushing his muscles to the limit, taking himself to the wall. Any further than this and he had nothing left.

His fist slammed into Sasuke's face of Sakura's shoulder, who looked startled to see an arm suddenly blossom beside her. Sasuke went tumbling head over heels, bouncing as he went, up over Naruto, and smashing heavily into Gaara, knocking the Suna Jinchuuriki to the ground in a heap, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a flying Sasuke, even managing to make it past his sand shield.

Gohan's transformation gave out and he slumped against Sakura's body, breathing like he'd just run a million miles. He was vaguely aware of the strawberry-scented perfume he wore, ruined slightly by the tang of her sweat, but still very much at the forefront. Ordinarily he would've been mortified to have something like this happen, but he was too tired to care.

"G-Gohan-kun!" Sakura squealed, surprised by his sudden collapse and by his chosen place of support. At the same time, something stirred within her…happiness? But that didn't make sense so she dismissed it. "What are you doing!?"

"Too tired," Gohan muttered. "Kabuto…took too long."

"Kabuto-san? What does he have to do with this?"

"Traitor," Gohan whispered as Sakura got him off her shoulders and dragged him to a tree, propping him up against the mammoth plant's roots. "Working for…Orochimaru."

"Do you have proof?"

"Kakashi…saw him."

Sakura blinked. "Well that's good enough for me," she answered, disgust in her voice.

"Get away from him Sakura."

She looked behind her to see Sasuke, the one she thought she loved, and a treasured teammate and, she thought, a valued friend, standing behind her, the black marks covering him from head to toe, purple chakra bathing him in a shifting hazy swirl, throwing leaves and small rocks into the air. His Sharingan stared down at her like a hawk tracking a rabbit, steely and unforgiving.

"I'm not done with him yet."

"Sasuke!" Sakura pleaded. "Stop this! Why are you attacking Gohan-kun anyway!?"

"Because he's a stepping stone," Sasuke answered, his voice devoid of inflection, as if someone had whispered his answer to him and it was becoming his mantra. "Defeating him will bring me closer to Itachi." His form flickered and his voice came from behind Sakura. "You are unnecessary."

Pain flared in her neck and she slumped, but not before she heard both Naruto and Gohan scream "SAKURA!"

"What the hell Sasuke!? What crawled up you ass and died!?" Naruto demanded, paying for his lack of concentration by nearly getting smashed by Gaara, who'd tangled with Sasuke briefly until the Uchiha had managed to get free.

Sasuke didn't even glance at him as he looked back at Gohan, who was tugging himself upright, gathering what ki he had in order to slug it out with someone he didn't really care for, but would've laid down his life to defend anyway. He lunged at Sasuke and a deft backhand knocked him away.

Gohan landed in a heap as his opponent's hand began to flash through seals. "Katon. Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaled a massive ball of fire that hissed like a big cat, illuminating the shadowy ground, the heat crisping grasses and leaves, setting the dead ones alight. It enveloped Gohan and the young saiyan was lost in the orange and red flame. Sasuke smiled dangerously. "Take that, bastard."

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm willing to bet that Gohan-san didn't have anything to prove to you, nor you to him," said a new voice. Sasuke whirled. It was Aburame Shino, pushing up his glasses coolly, Gohan slung over one shoulder, the teen weak, but his eyes blazing with their usual fire that was so akin to Naruto's.

The blob of ash on the ground had a few smoldering insects in it, kikaichu, Sasuke was sure of it. The Aburame had swapped Gohan for his bugs. "Stay out of this, Aburame," Sasuke growled. "It doesn't concern you."

"It does when you decide to take on a personal grudge during a battle for Konoha," Shino retorted. "This is neither the time no place, Uchiha."

"I'll only repeat myself once more, Aburame. This doesn't concern you."

Shino's eyes were sharp behind his sunglasses. "I beg to differ."

Sasuke's Sharingan narrowed just as dangerously. "Then I'll kill you along with him."

A swarm of black erupted from Shino, roiling and writhing as shadows come to life. The bug-user himself was covered with them, an indecipherable mass of black legs and clicking mandibles. Ordinarily, it would've unnerved Sasuke, but now he felt nothing but supreme confidence as he gathered chakra into his hand, the chirping of a flock of birds filling the air only moments later, his hard features lit with a flickering blue and white light as bolts of lightning zipped out from the Chidori in his hand.

"So be it," Shino said with a chilling finality. He slammed one hand onto the ground and a wave of bugs twice as tall as Sasuke himself erupted from the Aburame's body, cresting and falling towards the Uchiha like a tsunami. Instead of running, which would've been dangerous to do, Sasuke took a different approach. He redistributed the Chidori over his entire body and launched himself through the wave. Any kikaichu that came into contact with his body was incinerated instantly.

He erupted from the back of the wave to find Shino gaping up at him, mouth open in a rare display of emotion. Sasuke contented himself with the knowledge that it was surprise and maybe even a little horror. Following his inspiration with the Chidori, Sasuke pulled out a few kunai and coated them with the lightning. They flashed from his grip, becoming thunderbolts that rained down on the Aburame and weakened Gohan. The two were lost amid the puffs of dirt and flame that the lightning brought about.

Sasuke grinned, but it slid off his face like oil when he realized that the target in front of him was another mass of blackened bugs.

"Bug Clone," Shino explained from behind him, Gohan mysteriously absent. Shino threw his hands out, another river of bugs erupting from his body, roiling and writhing like a living thing as the air was filled by the low hum of frantically beating wings. Sasuke could even see some sparkles here and there as gossamer wings caught the light.

Following his success earlier with the Chidori-shield, Sasuke again brought the technique to life around him and waded right through the technique. He didn't know it yet, but he'd discovered the basics of his nature manipulation. Kakashi had told him that he had a lightning affinity, but didn't show him anything, only promising to show him later, after the tournament was over. In different circumstances, Sasuke would've been thrilled by the discovery, using it to show himself his own superiority, but now it was only a tool, an ingenious strategy for him to use, kind of like what Naruto was fond of doing. Trying things on the fly and hoping they worked.

'Not a way to fight,' Sasuke thought to himself, annoyed with himself for sinking to such a level, 'but I'll take it.'

An animalistic cry filled the forest, so much so that the two warring genin stopped their squabble to look over at Gaara, who was stumbling around, clutching at his face. He tripped over an exposed root, crashing to the ground, thrashing around like he was having a seizure.

"No mother!" He shrieked, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He kept repeating that over and over, his voice fading from agonized shout to a soft whimper. "I'll kill him, I swear, just be patient!" He seemed to get a reply because he made a noise that sounded like 'Alright'. Then he was suddenly sane and in control again, standing up to glare at Naruto, Sasuke, and Shino. "Now you've done it. Mother is going to kill you."

"Bring it on," Naruto said, but it was without his usual bravado. He was locked down and dialed in, plus he knew how Gaara felt. He knew about the demon Gaara possessed, was sure that that was what Gaara was talking about, but found himself totally sure he was capable of dealing with the creature, whatever it was. "I'm still gonna beat you down!"

"DIEEEEE!" Gaara howled, sand bursting from everywhere, gushing like an oil geyser into the air, clumping together as it did, until it formed a massive and ponderous sand raccoon, shot through with purple veins and a waving bushy tail, sand dripping off it in coarse streams. The eyes were golden, with a four-pointed starburst in the middle with a dot in between each point. The jaw as massive and serrated, like a caricature of a bulldog. Gaara himself was embedded in the raccoon's forehead from the waist down.

"NOW YOU'LL DIE!" Gaara screamed, bringing his hands up. "Ninpou! Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu!"

He swooned and passed out.

A change came over the giant raccoon. Even without Gaara, it continued to move. To the surprise and horror of the three below, and Gohan in his concealed refuge where Shino had dropped him, the sand horror stretched with a yawn and spoke with the same high-pitched voice that Gaara had used during the Second Exam when he'd fought Gohan.

"Ahhhh!" The thing said, scratching itself. "So nice to be out again." His awful eyes searched the ground and found the three shinobi and one passed out kunoichi with relative ease. "So you're the little bastards that my bastard was having problems with?" the demon laughed. "Oh shit, that's rich. He's so damn pathetic." One titanic limb lifted up, sand trickling from it like rain, before it started its descent.

Naruto's finger swept up to his mouth as he pleaded with his own inner demon to release some of its youki to him so he could take on the raccoon on even ground. The Kyuubi, since kitsune detest tanuki as a rule, granted the request. Naruto's teeth bit down on his finger and drew blood. The seals formed themselves.

Shino and Sasuke dove out of the way, to dodge the falling limb as Naruto stood his ground, Shino scooping up Sakura's limp form.

Seconds before the Ichibi's and crashed to earth, Naruto's voice pierced the silence of the forest. "Ninpou! Kuchiyose no Jutsu!!" An explosion rocked the forest, sending crows and hawks into flight with a noise of angry chattering that almost matched the chattering of the Chidori. When the smoke pillar cleared, a massive toad, just as tall as the Ichibi himself, sat comfortably in the center of the forest, puffing on a massive pipe. He exhaled a cloud of smoke, eyeing up the massive demon across from him.

"Oh ho," he commented with stoic disinterest. If he was surprised by the demon, he didn't show it. "So who the hell's this?"

This was no ordinary toad. He was huge, with bandages wrapped around his midsection, holding a massive sword in place, a sword as tall as the massive redwoods and pines that surrounded Konoha. A scar adorned his left eye, a memento of his battle with the Kyuubi thirteen years ago. Over has back sat a tent-like haori with the kanji for shrimp on it. All in all, the titanic toad looked like an amphibious yakuza boss. This was Gamabunta, the head of the toads of Myobokuzan, and Jiraiya's friend and partner.

"Heya Boss Toad!" Naruto said jovially from his place atop the summons's head. "Can you give me a hand with this guy? It's Suna's demon thing."

"Suna's bijuu?" the toad asked, eyeing the raccoon, which was similarly eyeing him. The toad took out his pipe and knocked the ash out of it. "Take a hike."

"SAY WHAT!?"

"I don't feel like fighting on such a good day," the toad answered simply. "So if you'll excuse me, I'm taking a walk. Maybe even go swimming." He began to plod off through the trees, shaking the earth with each step, Naruto spluttering curses, oaths, vows, threats, and other things from his lofty perch.

"That's right!" Shukaku bellowed. "Run! I would too if I had to fight me! You're big, Warty, but you'll never be able to beat me!" He raised his hands, as he laughed, as if to fold them behind his head.

One arm went flying through the air, smashing to earth in a cloud of sand and dust.

"What'd you say punk?" Gamabunta demanded, sword in hand, eyes glinting dangerously. "I'm no match for you huh? Well then, I'll just have to kick your ass. Lemme tell you something. I fought with the Yondaime Hokage himself against the Kyuubi and I ain't about to get beat by some one-tailed wuss!"

Shukaku surveyed his severed arm with disinterest. "Oh?" He asked finally. "Looks like you're not all talk after all."

"Better believe it," Gamabunta snarled in return. "I'm gonna make a coon skin cap outta ya." He lunged with blinding speed, propelled by his massive hind legs at the raccoon. The blade pierced it with no resistance at all, and Shukaku started laughing.

"Are you an idiot!?" it howled. "I'm made of sand!"

A surge of sand burst from its gut like a battering ram, throwing Gamabunta away like a ragdoll. He smashed to with a crash that shook the entire area, from the forest to Konoha, knocking more than a few shaky buildings down. The toad was on his feet just as fast as he'd been thrown, Naruto looking faintly queasy from the wild ride.

"I don't feel so good," he muttered.

"Puke on my head and I'll sit on you!" Gamabunta shouted indignantly. "Now hold on!"

He leapt into the air just as Shukaku's arm shot past beneath him, ripping a massive furrow in the ground.

"Gahahahahaha!" Shukaku cackled. "In the air! Can't dodge!" His belly bulged, much like the snake that Naruto had blown up with the Kage Bunshin had done. "Futon! Renkudan!" He smashed his bulging stomach and exhaled a burst of air that shot into the sky at the leaping toad. The air caught the dust and debris that was still floating around, giving it visibility. It was a roiling mass of air, similar to the Rasengan's chaos, but over a hundred times bigger.

The sky lit with an explosion as Gamabunta took the brunt of the blow. The fireball fell to the earth as Shukaku laughed delightedly.

"I did it! Die you stupid toad! Die!! DIE!!!"

Gamabunta bounded from the column of smoke, snatched up his sword, and slashed off Shukaku's other arm in a fluid sweep of his massive weapon. "Sorry, the explosion must've rattled my brain. Who'd you kill again?"

Shukaku spluttered incoherently before sand burst up from two locations, the locations of the severed arms, and reattached themselves to his body, forming the limbs once again. He lashed out with the new arms, batting away the massive toad summon.

Naruto, though he was using chakra to stay upright, was still thrown down. "Hey!" He shouted. "Watch it Boss Toad! Not all of us are as huge as you!"

"Oh shut up!" Gamabunta retorted. Shukaku made overtones of an attack, his stomach distending again as he charged up a Drilling Air Bullet. "Here he comes!"

Shukaku belched the jutsu.

* * *

So that's it. The chapter was a little later than usual, but since it's summer break...well that's really no excuse, but still. It is summer.

**Glossary**

**Futon: Renkudan (Wind Style Drilling Air Bullet): **Shukaku belches a big blast of air that will explode or drill through damn near anything. Think of it as a King Sized Rasengan.

**Ninpou: Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu (False Sleep Jutsu): **Forces Gaara to fall asleep so Shukaku can come out to play.


	24. Companions in Pain

Disclaimer: Own nothing

* * *

Gamabunta shot into the air, clearing the Air Bullet by a narrow margin. He scowled as he felt the air near his toes ripple and distort, disturbed by the massive blast. Behind him, the bullet hit a mountain and ground the hard granite into sand. "Now that'll hurt," the boss muttered as he eyed the raccoon. He leaped again, ignoring Naruto's yelling as a new volley of attacks came his way. Shukaku grinned the best he could with his oversized lower jaw and spat another blast at the leaping toad.

"Not this time," Gamabunta called as he made a hand sign. "Suiton! Teppodama!" His cheeks welled up then spat a quick double tap of water bullets, the two attacks canceling each other out, then he let off a delayed third one, blowing through the rain that the collision had left and smashing headlong into Shukaku.

"Shiiiit!" The tanuki howled indignantly. "I _hate _water! Hate hate it!"

'Oh really?' Gamabunta thought with more than a slight amount of interest. He noted that the area where the bullet had hit was dark and wet and Shukaku didn't seem to like that. "Well then, try this on for size! Teppodama!"

A barrage of the water bullets spewed from the toad's mouth, smashing into Shukaku one after the other, drenching the sand raccoon. When it was over, the only dry spot left on Shukaku was the spot where Gaara still swung, out like a light. The demon had made a deliberate and contentious effort to protect the Jinchuuriki.

'So if the 'riki wakes up, the coon will go back under,' Gamabunta surmised. His fleshy mouth turned upwards in a smile. "Hey kid!"

"What is it, Boss Toad?" Naruto asked.

"I got a way to take this guy out!"

"Really!?" Naruto gasped. "Well I'm all ears 'cause I don't have a better plan."

"It's real easy, actually," Gamabunta replied. "All we gotta do is wake up that Sand kid in his forehead. Wake him up and the demon goes away."

"Well what are we waiting for!?" Naruto demanded. "Let's do it!"

"Right," the head toad answered, crouching. "Here we go!"

The toad bounded forward, covering the distance from his place to Shukaku in one massive bound. Gamabunta latched onto him and held fast. Naruto was crouching, reading himself to jump when the raccoon gave a hard shake and dislodged the toad. Gamabunta tipped sideways with a grunt before leaping backwards, just clearing a retaliatory strike.

"Damn!" The blond swore. "Hey Boss, if you want me to do something you're going to have to hold on!"

"Be quiet!" Gamabunta snapped. "I don't have any horns or claws to hang on with!"

"What!? So what do we do now!?" Naruto cried, panic welling up within him. If he didn't do something fast, Gohan, Sakura, and the others would be squashed. "How are you supposed to hold on then!?"

"You moron," Gamabunta said with a sigh. "If we don't have claws or fangs or anything, then we use a jutsu to get what we need. The Henge should be perfect…of course, I don't really do the Henge so you'll have to do it."

"What how!?"

"A combined Henge you idiot!"

"Oh. Why didn't you say so!" Naruto grinned as he made the appropriate seal.

'The kid really is an idiot,' Gamabunta thought with a shake of his massive head, almost knocking the concentrating Naruto off his feet. 'Oh well, can't be helped I guess'

"You ready kid?"

"Yeah!"

"Then hold on cause here we go!"

The toad bounded forward.

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Jiraiya howled as he rolled under a water jutsu. The Suiryuudan soared over his head and smashed into the purple barrier, disintegrating into steam the second it touched the walls. The Nidaime, or the earth and clay copy of him anyway, began another sequence. Orochimaru had used a technique that Jiraiya had never seen before to bring back to life both the Shodai Hokage and the Nidaime Hokage. Jiraiya didn't have a problem fighting the two of them. The Shodai had been dead by the time Jiraiya was a genin and the Nidaime was too busy with other things to really stop and see how the future Sandaime was teaching his students. Sarutobi on the other hand, had been taught by both men, had known and loved them like his own father and to see them disgraced and debased like this was truly a terrible psychological blow.

The Shodai clapped his hands together and a dense roiling blackness poured out, enveloping both Jiraiya and Sarutobi. Almost simultaneously, the two legends brought their hands together in the tiger seal. "Kai!"

The darkness shattered just as quickly as it had blossomed. Neither, however, expected the wave of water that came from the Nidaime. They were swept away and sent flying towards the barrier wall, and the certain death that went with it, until the Sandaime showed why he was one of the foremost experts with the Kage Bunshin.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The clones made a very Naruto-like move and made a human chain that shot out and grabbed onto a solid piece of the roof, the remains of the earthen wall that the Kage had made only a short time ago. Fukasaku lashed out with his tongue caught Sartuobi's outstretched hand. The elderly toad grunted and was almost peeled right from Jiraiya's shoulder, but the sannin felt himself jerk to a stop. He lost no time in vaulting onto the top of the water, leaping from crest to crest of the waves that were still roiling and pounding. He hurled shuriken and kunai at every opportunity, trying to disrupt the jutsu.

One struck the Nidaime right between the eyes and flew out the other side, propelled by the Sage Mode-enhanced strength, but the neat circle filled in with earth and was gone. It did its job though and the jutsu was halted. A long staff swept over his head and knocked the Shodai from his feet.

"Ho?" Orochimaru commented from his place behind his two abominations. "Not bad, but I have to ask, how long can you keep this up, as old as you are? Jiraiya, Sensei, you are still aging, still old, still decrepit. How long until you give out and my Kage can simply squash your heads in with their feet?"

"I've had enough of this," Jiraiya snarled. "Outta the way, Old Man, I'm gonna summon Gamabunta."

"No can do, Jiraiya-chan," Fukasaku replied quickly. "Bunta's preoccupied at the moment. Turns out that little squirt you let sign the contract called him out to help with Suna's Jinchuuriki."

"Naruto?" Jiraiya asked before slapping his forehead. "Great. Even when the brat ain't here he messes things up for me!"

Orochimaru laughed. "Poor Jiraiya, done in by his own student. Oh the sweet irony. After all, you're responsible for luring the Yondaime to his death are you not?"

Jiraiya felt a steely calm pass over him like a wave, wiping out every emotion. "What was that?" He asked.

Orochimaru shrugged. "That foolish Fourth. He decided to seal the fox and sacrifice himself instead of enslaving the beast like any self-respecting shinobi would've done. All because of you, Jiraiya. You gave him those foolish morals, you taught him, showed him the path he walked. When it's all said and done, sensei have a responsibility to their students. When the sensei hesitates, the student pays the price. Right, Sarutobi-sensei?" The snake-man grinned.

"That's some noble-sounding bullshit you've got going there, bastard," Jiraiya snarled. The world was beginning to slow down around him. His eyes were shadowed by his oversized hirai-ate. "You've got balls, I'll admit, badmouthing my students like that." His innermost thoughts were beginning to be replaced by smooth anger, blotting out all else. The Yondaime's face, grinning Naruto's megawatt grin, passed over his vision.

"Yes, well, if trash is present, it should be brought to light."

Something in Jiraiya snapped and he felt all emotion sweep away from him, leaving only a cold hard blank, a desolate wasteland of apathy. He no longer cared what happened to him, or to his sensei or to Naruto, or to anyone else for that matter. All he wanted was to grind Orochimaru's smug ass into a paste. While his thoughts were inside, outside, changes were coming over Jiraiya. His skin was lightening, the warts that spotted his skin were receding, and his features were resuming their normal shape. At the same time, bright green chakra was beginning to snake around him, wreathing him in emerald light.

'Did Jiraiya-chan lose Sage Mode?' Fukasaku wondered for a second before a surge in the sacred energies almost blew him off the sannin's shoulder. 'No!'

"Pa!" Shima shouted suddenly. Fukasaku blinked, wondering what was wrong, then he noticed that Jiraiya's toad features had faded totally, except for the darkened areas around his eyes and his toad eyes themselves.

"Jiraiya-chan?" Fukasaku asked. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Jiraiya had never before achieved a total Sage Mode. He wasn't able to quiet himself enough to do it. Remaining still was essential for gathering Sage Chakra, but it also required a measure of emotional stability as well. Jiraiya had never been able to fully master either requirement, hence why he had always, until now, been partially turned into a toad. Showing emotion wasn't a bad thing in sage mode, but when gathering it, it required an almost meditative focus. Jiraiya, for reasons unknown to Fukasaku, but reasons that he could guess rather easily, had suddenly achieved that metal focus. And the chakra was responding beyond all limits. The energies were rushing to Jiraiya like a moth to the flame. It was unbelievable.

"He's focusing on his students, the memory of the Yondaime," Fukasaku breathed. "He's never been able to focus totally on something, been that way ever since I've known him and now…" He looked at Orochimaru, who, Fukasaku was pleased to see, didn't look too happy about the development. "He's got the focus."

"No matter how powerful you grow," Orochimaru said with a confidence that he didn't really feel. "It will pale compared to your betters." The Shodai and Nidaime dashed in, weapons ready. What happened next would have Orochimaru wondering for weeks. Jiraiya simply waved an arm, a careless right hook that would never have hit a decent shinobi, but the Shodai and Nidaime were blasted right off their feet, smashing into the ground behind Orochimaru with a thud that made the tiles beneath his feet tremble. "How?"

"Does it matter?" Jiraiya asked from behind him. "You're going to die for what you said." The air grew heavy, thick with killing intent. Orochimaru's eyes widened for a split second before pain seared through his chest. He looked down and saw a Rasengan, swirling angrily, emerging through him, followed by Jiraiya's hand and arm.

"Y-Y-You!" Orochimaru shouted, spinning as Jiraiya wrenched his arm free of his ex-best friend's body. The snake man's attack met nothing. The Sannin coughed, throwing up gouts of blood as he turned around. He hadn't expected Jiraiya's sudden power increase so he'd neglected to have a Bunshin or Kawarimi ready.

"Looking for me?" Jiraiya asked, standing over the two fallen Kage. He held up his palms and twin blue balls of spinning chakra spun to life. He smashed them down into the defiled corpses. The detonation filled the purple cube with smoke and tile fragments. When it cleared, the kunai that had been implanted in the back of the dead leaders' heads had been destroyed and the bodies lost their color, crumbling into the dust that they'd been made from in the first place. The toad sage dropped flat, revealing Sarutobi.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

He threw a single star that vanished in a puff of smoke and became hundreds as they burst from the cloud. Orochimaru tried valiantly to dodge but he was slowed by his wound and took a few nasty hits and a bunch of grazes. He was out of breath by the end, perspiration thick on his head, stinging his wounds as it ran down his pale skin. He coughed again and spat blood. Fury, unbridled rage like nothing the Sannin had ever known, filled him from his head to his toes. "DAAAAAMMMMNNN YOOOOUUUU!"

He drew the Kusanagi, the blade glowing bright white, the deadly weapon's business end extending out like a bullet. Jiraiya flipped over the attack with ease. Sarutobi wasn't so lucky and took a nasty blow on his arm. He would've lost it if not for his summon partner's timely intervention. A thin whip-like tongue slapped Orochimaru's wrist, taking the blade from his grasp. Jiraiya's angry toad eyes filled Orochimaru's field of vision, then it was gone, the world spinning madly. The Sannin was only faintly aware of the searing pain in his ribs and the impact with the ground, the force driving the air from his lungs. He struggled to his feet, wavering like a drunk. The world was still wobbly.

'Odd,' Orochimaru thought with detached interest. 'What's going on? I've never felt this way before, never in all my time as a shinobi…am I dying?' He looked at the hole in his chest, still oozing blood. It was a miracle that the foul shinobi had stayed on his feet as long as he had, but even a powerhouse like a Sannin had a breaking point and Jiraiya's powerup had done enough to tip the balance towards the two Leaf-nin again. 'I don't want to die…I can't die! I won't be defeated here!'

* * *

Explosions touched off throughout the city, but they were farther back, getting driven towards the walls. The Suna-Oto alliance was crumbling as Suna and Oto-nin alike turned and began to flee against the renewed fury of the Konoha-nin, who were defending their homes and precious ones. At the head of the charge was Kakashi, Sharingan blazing, beside a squad of ANBU who'd remained friends of his though the years, including Tenzou.

"It's Sharingan Kakashi!" One of the Suna-nin howled, eyes wide with fright. He died a second later, a kunai in his throat. The kunai had come from Kakashi's hand. The Suna shinobi, who'd been offering some resistance as they fell back, stopped, stunned by their now-deceased comrade's cry.

Kakashi held up a second knife. "You all have three seconds to clear the village," he said dangerously, Chidori blazing to life in his other hand. "One…two…"

The Suna shinobi began running.

They never heard Kakashi hit three. The shuriken and kunai volley of the ANBU cut them down in seconds, each knife or star finding a vital organ, vein, or artery.

"Spread out!" The scarecrow barked. "Run them out of our village!"

"Sir!"

The ANBU and Jounin vanished in black blurs.

Across the village, a certain scarred Chuunin fought against a squad of Suna Jounin. Iruka scowled as he was slowly driven back, working his knife as fast as he could. One of the Jounin slipped on the blood-slicked ground and lost his guard. Iruka's kunai dipped in and came back red, the enemy shinobi falling to the ground with a gashed carotid.

"Come on!" The leader howled from the back lines. "He's just a Chuunin! Kill him!" The squad, egged on by their commander, rushed in with savage grins. Iruka's eyes narrowed in preparation for the pain that was sure to follow.

Birds swooped from the sky and began tearing into the enemy. Iruka wondered where the attack had come from, but that thought was answered when an ANBU dropped from the rooftop behind him, short sword in hand. A deft slash took down the leader and the birds finished ripping the throats from their targets. The ANBU spared only enough time to dispel the birds, which vanished with splashes, becoming black puddles of fluid. Then the ANBU was gone. Iruka blinked, surprised. That ANBU couldn't have been much older than Naruto, he realized as he bent to examine the black puddles. He dipped one finger into a puddle and sniffed.

"Ink?" He wondered as he straightened up. "What was that jutsu?" He pondered a bit more then shook himself and dashed off, trying to find the impromptu team that he'd linked up with.

All over Konoha it was the same story as the shinobi battered the invaders back. In almost ten minutes, the enemy had been driven beyond the outer edges of the village and the mop up operations were beginning with only a few hotspots remaining, pockets of enemies who'd gotten separated from their friends and summarily left behind in the wild retreat. By nightfall that day, the hotspots would be cleared and the cleaning up would begin.

* * *

"It's over, Orochimaru," Jiraiya growled, watching the receding signs of battle. "Now all that's left is to cut off the head of the beast." He cracked his knuckles to emphasize the point. "You can die fast or slow, your choice."

The wobbly Sannin half-expected for his old teacher to make some wise comment to Jiraiya to try and stop him, but none was forthcoming. If anything the old Kage looked resolute. There would be no hesitation from Sarutobi, not this time. He would not repeat his mistakes and allow Orochimaru to escape again. Without warning, Orochimaru toppled over, slamming to the ground

"Orochimaru-sama!" Tayuya shouted. The Sound Four didn't hesitate. They dropped their barrier, allowing the purple box to fall. The four most loyal students and pawns of Orochimaru were at his side in seconds, Tayuya and Sakon picking up their fallen leader while the other two stood against Sarutobi and Jiraiya.

"Move kid," Jiraiya snarled, the toad eyes fading from his face. He wouldn't need Sage Mode to finish this off. He molded the seals he needed. "Or I'll move you!"

"Do your worst," Jiroubou answered with a confidence that he didn't feel. He was against both a Kage and another of the Sannin, and while both were weaker than his Lord Orochimaru, either one was leaps and bounds above any of the Sound Four.

"You asked for it," came the answer. Jiraiya slammed his hand down to the ground. "Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" He spewed the raging fireball and put more chakra than he needed to behind it. The fireball that spewed forth wasn't orange or red. It was blue and white. The two kids were lost in the blaze, so Jiraiya chocked the flow almost instantly. He scowled when he saw the mud wall. It was baked into hard clay, but the part that had taken the brunt of the blow was melted almost all the way through.

The Sound Four and Orochimaru were nowhere to be found.

"Damn!" Jiraiya cursed, turning to go after them, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"No, Jiraiya," Sarutobi said evenly. "Let them go. There will be other opportunities."

"But sensei…"

"No! As Hokage I order you not pursue! If you defy me, Jiraiya, I will have to discipline you." The student and teacher glared at each other, a stare down that Jiraiya lost. He never could go against the Old Man. He sighed and the Kage smiled as he saw the steam leech out of his student. Shima and Fukasaku nodded to each other and vanished with small pops. The two men stood at the pinnacle of the tower and looked out over the burning village, a light wind brining the tang of burning flesh, wood, and blood to them.

"So what now?"

"We endure," Sarutobi replied, putting pressure on the gash on his arm. He felt as if he'd aged a hundred years in the last few hours. "The village isn't the buildings that make it up or the things it holds, but the people who call it home. As long as we have even one person who calls himself a citizen of Konohagakure, the village will endure. And if they possess the Will of Fire, then the village will come back even stronger than before." He sighed. "Dark times are ahead, Jiraiya, but the question we must ask ourselves is will we allow ourselves to be swallowed, or will the fires of this trial temper our resolve to never let it happen again?"

A gigantic explosion touched off in the woods outside Konoha. When it cleared, Jiraiya was just able to make out the massive form of Shukaku. He whistled when he saw what emerged from the explosion, which he recognized as a Henge cloud. The Kyuubi was sitting comfortably in the middle of the forest.

"Kyuubi?" Sarutobi asked. "Impossible."

"Yep," Jiraiya answered. "It's just Naruto and Gamabunta using a combined Henge. Looks like Bunta let Naruto pick the form." The two veteran shinobi watched as the two massive creatures lunged at each other. The ensuing clash was audible as a dull thud even from the distance separating the fight and its observers.

"Shouldn't you go help? He is your godson after all," the Sandaime said.

"Che. Naruto's a big boy now. He doesn't need me to help him out. Besides, a master shouldn't get involved in his student's fights."

"So that means you shouldn't have gotten involved with me and Orochimaru," the older shinobi said with a grin.

"Hey, I was the student, you were the teacher. The rule doesn't apply."

Sarutobi chuckled. "I suppose," he answered, looking up at the darkening clouds overhead. The two lapsed into silence for a moment. "I'm too old for this," he said suddenly.

"Eh?"

"Nothing. Come. I have to help clear out the rest of these invaders."

"Right behind you Old Man," Jiraiya answered with a grin. The two vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Sasuke ducked under the wave of bugs that tried to envelop him in the mass of clicking mandibles and gossamer wings. Shino stared impassively as his enemy swung a kunai wreathed in lightning chakra through the attack, severing it like a snake head, the bugs popping into sparks of light and flame.

"Not bad, Uchiha Sasuke," the Aburame murmured, readying another strike. "But not good enough." He slammed a hand to the ground. A new wave of bugs burst forth, rising up like a tidal wave before cresting and beginning its descent on Sasuke. The Uchiha smirked and drew his lightning shield around his body again. The strike burned right through the bugs as it had before.

A kunai buried itself into the Uchiha's shoulder. He staggered and lost his guard, paving the way for a follow-up volley of shuriken to pepper his body. The sudden pain made him cry out as he sank to his knees.

"Predictable," Shino muttered, standing. "I've seen that too many times, Uchiha. It won't work again."

"Screw you!" He stood despite the pain, only to wobble and fall to the ground again. "What!? I can't feel my limbs! What the fuck did you do, Aburame!?"

Shino held up a small vial of black powder. It was only about as long as Sasuke's thumb. "This. It's a concoction made out of the powdered husks of mature kikaichu who've molted. It's a powerful contact poison. Only an Aburame is immune to its effects. Since I put it on my weapons, its now in your bloodstream. Right about now you should be feeling a tingling in your limbs, like they're asleep."

Sasuke's limbs began to tingle. He glanced down at his arms for just a second, but it was enough to tip Shino off.

"Next your hearing and eyesight will begin to fade."

When Shino spoke again, Sasuke could barely hear him and his vision was contracting. Shino's voice was soft. "In another few seconds, you'll pass out totally and be out for twelve hours at the least, a day and a half at most."

Sasuke keeled over sideways, out cold. The remaining kikaichu rose up and swarmed back to their master, vanishing up the sleeves and down the collar of his overlarge coat. The silence in the clearing was ominous. Shino pushed up his sunglasses with his middle finger as the black marks of the seal receded from Sasuke's skin. "I win, Uchiha Sasuke. I guess the rumors about you were exaggerated."

He went over to a bush and helped Gohan out of it. "Are you alright, Son-san?"

"Yeah," the Saiyan replied. "Thanks for the help."

"It is what we do. You wear the colors and symbol of Konoha, therefore you are my comrade, therefore I am duty-bound to help you in time of need. Apparently, Uchiha has forgotten that."

"Now I have to help Naruto!" Gohan grunted, trying to free himself from Shino, but the bug-user forced him to sit.

"No, Son Gohan," he said. "This is Naruto's fight. It is his to win or lose."

Gohan grunted his disagreement, but couldn't do much else. He couldn't deny that he would be in the way if he went to Naruto in the state he was in. "Damn."

"Indeed."

Sakura stirred and pushed herself upright with a gasp. "Sasuke no!" She stopped cold and blinked when she realized that the battle around her was no longer raging out of control. "Huh?" Her eyes met Shino's. "Shino-san?"

He nodded.

She found Gohan next. "Gohan-kun!" She was at his side only a second later, but at a loss as to what to do now. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," he answered with a grin. "More importantly, are you okay, Sakura? Sasuke hit you pretty hard."

She rubbed her neck, where a nasty bruise was just becoming visible against her pale skin. "It's no big deal. You've hit me harder I think."

Gohan laughed weakly, but it vanished when a tremendous crash shook everyone and knocked over Shino and Sakura. His smile vanished. "Naruto, don't die on us."

* * *

"I'm gonna die!" Naruto howled as Gamabunta slammed into Shukaku again, almost knocking both huge creatures from their feet. The raccoon shook himself though and threw off the transformed toad. Both were on their feet quickly and at it again. This time Gamabunta shouldered his way past the other's guard and latched on.

"Go!"

The transformation dissolved as Naruto rocketed up above the two fighting creatures. "Hey Gaara!" He yelled as he drew back. "Wake the hell up!" His cross smashed into Gaara's jaw, dislocating it with a satisfying pop. The blond skidded to a stop on the muzzle of Shukaku. He smirked when he noticed Gaara's eyelids flicker.

The other Jinchuuriki flinched when he felt his jaw. He popped it back into place, biting through his lip to keep the scream of pain back. "Damn you, Uzumaki Naruto! What makes you so powerful? What drives you?"

"You threatened my friends," Naruto answered simply. He gave Gaara a thumbs down. "For that, I'm gonna kick your tanuki ass all the way around the world!"

"Friends?" Gaara answered. "Friends are weak. Friends hold you back. You should fight for yourself." Both ignored Shukaku's protests as he was again driven into Gaara's subconscious. "We exist for ourselves, fight for ourselves, strive for ourselves, and in the end, we die for no one but ourselves."

"Maybe you do," Naruto shot back, Sakura, Sasuke, Gohan, Kakashi, Ero-Sennin, Iruka, and the Rookie Nine's faces flashing through his mind one after another. Red youki began to swirl around his feet. It settled around his body like a second skin, and though it was invisible to him, Gamabunta noted the way it formed two long fox ears above his head. Naruto's crimson cat-like eyes burned into Gaara's. "But I don't. AND I WON'T LET YOU KILL THEM!" He flashed forward, too fast for Gaara to track. The next thing the Suna Jinchuuriki knew, his already tender jaw was aflame with new pain. Naruto's uppercut lifted Gaara straight out of Shukaku's head, the raccoon body dissolving into a massive mountain of sand.

Both landed at the tips of trees, glaring at each other. In the other, each one could see himself, with the deep pain and suffering that came with being a hated demon container. Each could also see the life he could've had if only circumstances had been a little different. As they stared the other down, each couldn't help but wonder, if they had met under different circumstances and in different lives, could they have been friends? Naruto thought so. Gaara wasn't so sure. Friends made you weak, he'd said, a philosophy he'd maintained through his entire life. Friends were deadweight, a weakness to be purged. 'So where does this power of his come from?' Gaara wondered. 'Where? And how?'

Something broke between them and they lanced at each other, Naruto's fox-skin fading as he closed with Gaara. For Gaara, it was the first time he'd ever had to use his own body to fight. His punch was clumsy, but the intent behind it was not. "DIE!"

Naruto planted a hand on Gaara's fist and flung himself up and over, high above the other Jinchuuriki. "In your dreams!" He shouted in return, slamming both his heels into the small of Gaara's back. Gaara slammed to earth in a massive cloud. Naruto landed beside him. "With you threatening my friends, there's no way I'll lose!" He rolled Gaara over with one toe, and pulled out a kunai, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

"What are you?" Gaara asked, something akin to awe in his eyes. "How do you have this kind of power?"

"Because I have to protect my friends, at any cost," Naruto answered, raising the kunai. "I won't let them die."

"But to go to such lengths. Even with what you…we are? Why go to such lengths for people who will just hate you in the end?" Gaara asked. Naruto hesitated, lowering the knife. "What have they ever done for you?"

Naruto looked away, lowering his arm. "They acknowledged me," he said simply. Gaara's eyes widened in surprise. "They were the first to. At first it was only Iruka-sensei, but eventually it was Sasuke-bastard, and Sakura-chan, and Gohan and Kakashi. Now for the first time in my life, I have precious people, friends, a family I can call my own." He looked back at Gaara, who was surprised to see tears running down Naruto's cheeks. "Believe me, I know your pain. I know how it is, the darkness you find yourself in everyday. I hated the people of the village at first. My earliest memories are of beatings at their hands. There were days I wanted to kill them. But…I decided to force them to acknowledge me instead, by being the class moron. It never went away, though."

"What didn't go away?"

"The dirty looks," Naruto answered, drying his eyes and stowing his knife. He sighed and grabbed Gaara by the armpits and dragged the other demon host to a tree, propping him up and sitting down beside him, staring up at the clouds through the leafy canopy. Gaara was totally nonplussed, not knowing what to do in this situation. Naruto had helped him. No one had done that and at first the Suna-nin wondered what Naruto had to gain by it and if he was going to kill him after the story was done, but something else within Gaara, some part of him he'd long since thought dead, told him that Naruto's act of kindness, simply helping him to a sitting position against a tree, really was just that, an act of kindness.

"Everywhere I went," Naruto went on, "even now, I still get the looks. I don't think it will ever really go away. Unless I do something really spectacular to save the village in front of them all, I doubt I'll ever be free of them."

"So why not kill them?" Gaara asked, staring up at the clouds himself. "Make them acknowledge you. Make them too afraid to look at you with hatred."

"Then it's just as bad," Naruto answered quickly. "I don't want to be feared. I just want to be respected."

"And how do your friends help with that? Do they speak on your behalf?"

Naruto shook his head. "No," the blond answered. "They saved me."

"Saved you how?" Gaara was surprising himself with how much he was talking. He'd never talked like this before, never had anyone to talk to, really. Most of the time, the people were too scared to look at him the wrong way. But Naruto was different. He could relate. He shared Gaara's pain, but had risen above it, owned it, and vanquished it. All through having friends. Were friends really that important, Gaara wondered?

"They saved me from myself," Naruto replied with a smile. "When you make a friend, you share a little of your pain with them. You bear it together and it makes it easier to handle. They pulled me from the darkness, especially Sasuke-bastard and Gohan."

"Son…Gohan?" Gaara asked, with an owlish blink. "The one I fought in the preliminaries?"

"That's the one," Naruto grinned. "He's the one person who met me and didn't give me that look. It…meant a lot to me and now he's even my roommate. It's awesome. Sometimes I wonder if that's what it's like to have a brother."

"Does he share your beliefs?"

"Yeah. He always gets really pissed off when someone gets hurt."

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence and Gaara was surprised to find that he didn't feel the overwhelming urge to kill Naruto. As a matter of face, he felt…tranquil, at peace with the world. It didn't seem so dark and bleak now. Would it be like this all the time if he had friends, he wondered? "You are very wise, Uzumaki Naruto," Gaara said finally.

"You really think so?" Naruto asked with a grin, scratching his cheek. "That's kind of funny. Everyone's always telling me how much of a dumbass I am."

"Gaara!"

Temari and Kankuro landed near them. Both did double takes when they saw Naruto and Gaara just sitting calmly next to each other. Kankuro huffed. "You look like shit." He half expected a tidal wave of sand to crush him. Temari clearly did, from the exasperated look she was giving him.

"That's because he fought me!" Naruto proclaimed. "The greatest Konoha shinobi ever!"

The other two members of the Sand Trio looked at each other and had one thought. 'This guy's an idiot.'

"Looks like it's time for you to go," the blond genin said, standing, wobbling a few times before steadying himself and helping up, supporting him under one arm. "Or are you going to try and kill my friends again?"

"No," Gaara said finally. He stumbled over to his siblings, Kankuro lifting him onto his back. They turned to leave, but Gaara stopped his brother. "Wait." He looked back at Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto…Do you think…that you would be able call me a friend?" Temari and Kankuro exchanged stunned looks. Gaara sounded hopeful, the first emotion they'd ever seen in him, aside from bloodlust-filled insanity.

Naruto looked surprised too, but he grinned his fox grin and folded his arms behind his head. "Nope," he said, making the other three blink, startled. Gaara felt unbridled rage. This guy had toyed with him, just like every body else. He was just gathering his remaining chakra to strike Naruto dead when the blond spoke again. "We're best friends, Gaara."

Gaara's rage and chakra vanished as if it had never been there. "Best friends, huh?" he repeated, the words stiff and strange on his tongue. Kankuro and Temari didn't see it, but Naruto did. Gaara's lips curled up in a thin, almost invisible, but very genuine smile. "I see. Then when we meet again, it shall be as friends, not as enemies."

"Yeah!"

The Sand Siblings left as blurs, Temari and Gaara looking back at Naruto's receding form. "Who…was that guy, Gaara?" Temari asked, curious. She half expected to die right then, but to her surprise, Gaara actually answered her.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he replied. "Konoha's Jinchuuriki."

"The Kyuubi host?" Kankuro asked.

"Yeah." They bounded through the majestic forest of Konoha in silence for a few minutes before Gaara spoke again. "Temari…Kankuro…I'm sorry."

The two exchanged surprised glances again. "Uh…no problem Gaara," Kankuro said finally. Gaara passed out from the exhaustion of the day. Thankfully, Shukaku was too busy recovering his own strength to take advantage of his host's inactivity, so the raccoon didn't make an appearance.

"What happened to him?" Temari asked.

Kankuro only shrugged.

Naruto watched the trio fade, then turned to head back towards his own friends. To his surprise, all strength left his legs and he fell face first towards the ground. He never hit. A warm body, solid and safe, caught his fall.

"You always push yourself too hard," Jiraiya said, picking his godson up on his back. "Makes picking up after you a pain in the ass."

"Ero-sennin? What're you doing here?"

"Well, I saw Gamabunta leave a little while ago, so I figured that I should come and see how it was going. Looks like I didn't need to worry." He leapt into the trees and bounded for some distance before dropping to the ground, in front of everyone who'd come after Naruto. Sakura and Gohan were the first at his side as Jiraiya set him down, followed by Shino and Shikamaru, who'd decided that going into battle would be too troublesome after his bout with Kankuro and had settled down for some good cloud watching. The only one missing was Sasuke, who was being borne back to Konoha on the back of one of Jiraiya's smaller toads for medical treatment (and hopefully a severe disciplining from Kakashi, if Sakura and Gohan and the Aburame kid were to be believed).

"Damn, Naruto," Shika said. "You look like hell."

They were all beaten, bruised, and battered, Naruto with his cuts and bruises most of all and Gohan with his arm in a sling a close second. A vein pulsed in Naruto's forehead. "Oh shut up, lazy ass! I didn't see you doing any fantastic fighting!"

Shika shrugged with a smirk. "Too troublesome," he answered.

Naruto used a couple words in a string that had Sakura smacking him silly. The rest had a laugh at his expense. In less than fifteen minutes, they were on their way back to Konoha.

* * *

Whew! I'm back! See I'm not dead. Sorry for the long wait. I really have no excuse aside from general apathy, but August was pretty much spent getting ready for the trip back to AZ where I go to school and since I'm not about to drive my ass out that far, we had to take a plane, which meant that I had to find what I wanted, leave what I didn't want, and try to cram it all into a suitcase. Someday I'll have my own plane and I'll be able to fly myself...and while I'm wishing, I'd like to be a shinobi while I'm at it. And here I thought life was simple. Well, this ends three or four different fights and moves us out of the Chuunin Exams and the invasion. The Sandaime even survived thanks to Jiraiya pulling the complete Sage Mode out of his ass there at the end, which took Orochi-bastard totally off guard. Better to be lucky than good I guess. Well anyway, now I gotta go write the next chapter on another story, so later until next chapter!

**Glossary**

**Suiton: Teppodama (Water Style: Water/Liquid Bullet): **Gamabunta's technique. He spits a big ass ball of water, kinda like a gun. (It is called bullet for a reason)

**Fuuton: Renkuudan (Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet): **Shukaku's version of the Teppodama, except with air.

**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone): **The Shadow Clone done with shurikens. Too bad Naruto doesn't know this one. I think he'd come up with some rather inventive uses.


	25. A New Dawn

Disclaimer: It's the usual, I don't own anything bit.

* * *

Three days after the attack on Konoha, the Sandaime convened a meeting of his advisors, the council, the jounin, and all other important individuals. None had any idea of why the Hokage had called his leaders together, but they came nonetheless. When the Hokage said jump, it was best to answer with how high. Kakashi could sense something big was going to happen. Meetings of this caliber weren't called often and even the Fire Daimyo was present, having stayed the past few days in the village at Sarutobi's behest, citing this meeting as the purpose. The Daimyo had nervously agreed.

"The Fire Daimyo?" Asuma asked, sitting next to Kakashi. "Something big's about to happen." He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The action caught the eye of the Daimyo and he nodded with a smile to the former Fire Guard. The Jounin responded with a deeper nod, as close as he could get to a bow while sitting. "Any idea what's going on, Kakashi?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," the scarecrow answered. "He's your father after all. If anyone knows how he thinks, its you."

"Che. I gave up trying to understand him years ago." The bearded shinobi snuffed out his cigarette on the wood floor and swept the ash away with one hand. Sarutobi and his two old teammates entered the room. "Speak of the devil. We're about to find out."

"What's this about?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked the second Sarutobi sat. The wizened leader, scratching at the bandages on wound he'd sustained on his arm during the altercation with Orochimaru, smiled like a grandfather surveying an impatient grandson.

"Straight to the point, Hyuuga-san?" The Hokage asked.

The clan head indicated the assembled shinobi. "We're all curious, Sarutobi-sama. I thought it would be best to cut the political posturing and get right to the point."

"That's no reason to violate decorum," Homura said sharply. Sarutobi silenced his old teammate with a hand.

"It's alright. Curiosity is a natural thing when a meeting is unexpectedly called." The Sandaime pulled out his pipe, tamped tobacco into it, and lit it. He seemed to choose his words as he took a pull on it and exhaled the fragrant cloud of smoke. In the back, one of the Inuzuka sneezed. "Very well, Hiashi-san," the old leader said finally. "We'll do this your way. I'll cut past the political crap and get to the point." He seemed to shed years of his old frame and become the powerful and wise leader that the assembled shinobi had grown up under. "I called this meeting to announce my resignation as Hokage."

The reactions ranged from stunned silence to loud calls for an explanation. Sarutobi silenced the outbursts with a hand. "This was not a decision I came to lightly and I am particularly reluctant to leave my post in light of recent events, however, I cannot get past the fact that I am an old man. As I told Orochimaru, I am the oldest and most rotten timber of the roof that shelters our great village. It's time that the mantel of Hokage was passed down to the next generation."

"Who then?" Anko asked. "Who do you choose as your successor?"

Sarutobi caught Jiraiya's eye. The sage was standing in the back of the room, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. The white-haired pervert shook his head resolutely. The Sandaime sighed. "I was hoping that Jiraiya would take the robe of Hokage, however, he told me in no uncertain terms that he would not, under any circumstances, become the Godaime."

"So who?" asked an ANBU commander. "The next person who would be suitable would be Kakashi, right?" The jounin looked startled at the endorsement. His eye went from half closed to two thirds open, a sure sign of his shock. Sarutobi smiled.

"He's certainly a contender, but not who I had in mind. There is one other, one more qualified than Kakashi, or even…certain others in our village." Kakashi smiled inwardly. That 'certain other' would be Naruto, the son of the legendary Yondaime and the student of Jiraiya, just as the Yondaime had been before him. Given time, Naruto would indeed be very qualified to be Hokage. But, the Copy Nin agreed silently, there was one more.

"Tsunade," he muttered. In the silence it was as if he'd screamed it.

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes. Senju Tsunade, granddaughter of the Shodai and grandniece to the Nidaime. Of us all, she is most certainly the most qualified to replace me, even more so than the Yondaime in terms of blood claim to the title."

"But no one knows where Tsunade is," Asuma said. "How will we have her as the Godaime if she isn't even in the village?"

"Jiraiya has said that he will go and return Tsunade to us," Sarutobi answered.

"What of the rumor that said she promised to never return?" Shikamaru's dad asked. "You can bring her back, but if she won't stay, then we're back to square one."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Jiraiya answered the Nara, speaking for the first time. "It won't be easy. That's not a rumor you heard. She did promise to never return. This place holds too many ghosts for her. Her brother and lover were killed in the war, along with a lot of her friends, including Minato and Kushina, but I think it will be easier than we realize to get her back."

"Why?" The Fire Daimyo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jiraiya smirked. "I'm taking Naruto with me." The tension in the room went through the roof.

"The Kyuubi?" A jounin Jiraiya didn't recognize asked. "You gonna threaten her to return with the beast? Good plan." Kakashi and Jiraiya both slammed the man into the wall before he knew what hit him.

"Enough!" Sarutobi thundered, but he was ignored, and he understood all too well why. Naruto was like a second grandson to the elderly leader. If his station hadn't been a factor, Sarutobi would be right over there with his student and Kakashi.

"If you ever talk about Naruto like that again," Kakashi growled dangerously, "I'll introduce you to Naruto myself and let you repeat that little comment to his face. And I guarantee his methods will be more humiliating than anything I could do to you." The two legends let the jounin drop to the floor in a heap.

"And to answer before you even ask," Jiraiya added to the room at large, "I'm taking Naruto to train him and for one other reason."

"What would that be?" Sarutobi asked with a smile, though he already knew the reason. Jiraiya had explained it to him the previous day. Of all the people in the room, only Jiraiya had known what Sarutobi was going to do ahead of time and that was only because the old man had approached the Sannin to ask him to be Godaime.

"Naruto can convince people," Jiraiya answered with a smirk. "The kid makes you want to bet on him. He could make even the most cold-hearted bastard want to lay down his life for a friend. I'm hoping that seeing Naruto will make Tsunade throw her lot in with Konoha."

"And the fact that he looks like Nawaki doesn't hurt either," Homura mumbled to the Sandaime.

"Are we all in agreement?" Sarutobi asked. The room's occupants nodded. "Good, then it's decided. Tsunade shall be our Godaime and Jiraiya and Naruto shall retrieve her." The meeting was adjourned and the shinobi left to get back to rebuilding the village.

* * *

Outside, on the village wall, a pair of men in black cloaks with red clouds on them surveyed the trashed village. One man, who looked like a shark that decided to walk on land (and, in his partner's opinion, smelled just the same) grinned, showing off a mouth full of teeth filed to wicked points. A massive bandaged sword was strapped to his back. "Well, ain't this a shame," the man said with a chuckle. "The great Konohagakure, done in by one of it's own. Is it making you feel all nostalgic?" A hirai-ate, the metal plate wickedly gashed, was just visible under the woven grass hat, called a kasa, that he wore.

The other, shorter, man didn't reply immidiatly. He was dressed in the same manner as his comrade, minus that huge sword, and his hirai-ate showed the stylized leaf of Konoha, violated by a deep line through the center of the etching. His eyes were piercing. They seemed to look right through a person and they were oddly colored. They were red, with the distinct comma-like marks of the Uchiha Sharingan. "This place isn't so easy to finish off," the second man remarked softly. "It will take more than what has happened here to break the will of its people."

"You always say the nicest things, Itachi," the shark-man said sardonically.

Uchiha Itachi, the butcher of the Uchiha Clan and one Uchiha Sasuke's elder brother, didn't dignify with an answer. Instead he turned and dropped off the wall, landing with only the faintest rustle of cloth and the gentle tinkle of a bell, which dangled from a thread on his kasa. His partner had a bell just like it. The shark landed right next to him, just as silently, despite his bulk.

"You sure the Kyuubi's in there?" The shark man asked.

"Positive, Kisame." Itachi answered, a soft note of irritation in his lilting voice. Kisame shivered. Itachi was one of the most powerful shinobi in Akatsuki, despite his tender age of twenty or twenty-one, Kisame didn't know which. He'd been a captain of Konoha's ANBU from the time he was thirteen. Of course, that had been before he'd butchered his own clan, to a man, and fled, sparing only his younger brother. Kisame never knew if Itachi would answer a question or if he would bury a kunai in Kisame's spine. "Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, will be there for certain."

"He'd better be," Kisame, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, fumed. "My feet are killing me."

Itachi didn't spare an answer as he led Kisame around the village wall and up into the mountains that sat behind the village. There they found a lone sentry near a small gate, who was easily dealt with by Itachi's specialty, genjutsu, and let themselves into the village.

* * *

Gohan returned to Naruto's apartment after his first session at the hospital, getting electroshock muscle stimulation to keep his lame arm in top shape. The nurse had said that he was to return every week for a two-hour session, if he wanted his arm to stay the way it was. At first Gohan had been skeptical, since two hours had seemed a little short, but after feeling the muscles constantly twitching as hard and fast as they could, he had to admit, he could feel it. It felt like he'd gone through a one armed workout. Inside the apartment, he got a surprise. Naruto was on his bed, jumping up and down on a stuffed rucksack, apparently trying to get the thing to close. Gohan wasn't sure which would happen first, the bag closing or Naruto splitting a seam because he'd overfilled it.

"Hey Gohan!" Naruto called. He lost his concentration and landed wrong. Gohan winced as the blond faceplanted into the hardwood floor of the threadbare apartment. "OW!"

Gohan shook his head. Naruto would be fine. His head was just as hard as Gohan's. "What're you doing?"

"What? Oh, you mean this?" He gestured to the bulging blue book bag. "Ero-sennin stopped by earlier. I guess he wants to take me on some errand that Old Man Hokage gave him."

"The Sandaime?" Gohan asked. "What's he want you to do?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I dunno. I wasn't really paying attention. I think it was something about going to look for some old fart named Tsunade." Gohan frowned. Tsunade was the name of the one who was supposed to be able to heal his arm. Maybe he could…

"Sounds like fun. Can I come?"

Naruto bounded off his bed, where he'd renewed jumping. "Let's go find Ero-Sennin and find out!" He said exuberantly and led Gohan out the door to find the perverted sage.

* * *

Kakashi leaned against a wall outside a teashop. His nose was buried in his Icha Icha books, but his mind was anywhere but on the smutty storyline. He knew it by heart anyway, but the strangers in the shop were much more interesting. They'd caught his eye as he wandered the village. They wore dark cloaks with high collars and red clouds and each wore a woven grass hat with paper side strips to conceal their identity. 'These must be the rumored Akatsuki,' Kakashi thought. 'I thought they were just a myth. Guess even rumors can be true. Dammit, I'm not gonna be able to handle this alone.'

Asuma and Kurenai walked down the street toward him. Kakashi nearly fainted with relief. These two would be the backup he needed. Asuma stopped. "Kakashi? What're you doing here?"

Kakashi was all too aware of the gaze of the cloaked men on his back. "Reading," he answered lightly holding up the gaudy orange book. The men stood, paid their bill and left, leaving half-drunk mugs sitting on the table. Asuma and Kurenai nodded and took to the rooftops in pursuit. Kakashi sighed, wishing Sasuke wasn't under house arrest so Kakashi didn't have to worry about this kind of thing, but with the testimony of Gohan, Sakura, and Shino, the Sandaime had had no choice. Sasuke was under house arrest until further notice, pending the results of an investigation about his unprovoked attack on the injured saiyan boy.

"Akatsuki," Kakashi muttered. Not much was know about them, aside from the rumors that they were an organization of S-class missing-nin and they were after the Bijuu of each village. "If it is them, then there's only person who could've gotten them into the village with no one noticing." He sliced his thumb open and molded the seals for a Kuchiyose. A puff later and Pakkun appeared.

"What's wrong, Kakashi?" Pakkun asked, scratching an ear with his paw.

"Go tell the Sandaime that Akatsuki's in the village and that _he's_ with them," the jounin told his puppy. "Hurry."

"You got it," the pug answered and vanished with speed and grace of a veteran shinobi. Kakashi turned and left to chase down Asuma and Kurenai.

* * *

"I would prefer if Gohan-kun remained in the village," Sarutobi said. Naruto began cursing and demanding explanations and ranting about how Sarutobi didn't know what he was talking about. The Sandaime sighed as Jiraiya rubbed his temple. Gohan and Naruto had found Jiraiya without too much effort, but the Sannin had said to get the Hokage's permission first, which had led up to Sarutobi's answer.

"Why?" Naruto whined.

Sarutobi sighed again. "Naruto, Gohan-kun is injured. He has to keep up with his therapy at the hospital and he can't do that if he's wandering around looking for Tsunade with you."

"Aww come on," Naruto complained. "It won't take long!"

"You don't know that," Sarutobi said sharply. "Kids these days. Naruto, Tsunade is a Sannin, just like Jiraiya and Orochimaru. She's been out of touch for years and she's an experienced kunoichi that doesn't want to be found. Do you think this will be a mission that will be done in only a few days?"

Naruto recoiled at the rebuke, but didn't say anything more and the fight seemed to leak out of him. "Fine," he fumed after a moment. They were just turning to leave when Pakkun jumped through the window, skidding to a stop on Sarutobi's desk and sending papers everywhere.

"My paperwork!" Sarutobi moaned. "Great. I'm gonna have to start all over again and reorganize everything!"

"Sorry," the pug apologized, not sounding very sorry at all, "but that will have to wait. We've got a problem."

"What would that be?" the Kage asked, laments about paperwork forgotten.

"Akatsuki's in the village," Pakkun replied. "Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma are going to engage them. Kakashi thinks that Uchi…" he threw a glance back at Naruto and Gohan, the only two who didn't need to know what was going on. "Kakashi thinks that _he's _with them."

Sarutobi seemed to be as still as the statue of his face on the monument, but it was only for a second. "Well that changes things," he said finally. "Gohan-kun, you may go with Naruto if you would like."

"Why the sudden…" Naruto started.

"Alright, you got what you wanted," Jiraiya said, eyes never leaving Sarutobi's pale face. "Let's get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to cover it in." He steered the kids from the room.

"Why the sudden change?" Pakkun asked.

Sarutobi slumped in his seat, wishing his pipe was handy. "I'm getting too old for this," he lamented for the second time in only a few days. "I let Gohan-kun go to get Naruto out of the village as soon as possible. If it is Akatsuki, and if it is indeed Uchiha Itachi with them, then things are very grave indeed. Naruto has to get out before the Akatsuki find him. I sent Gohan-kun with them because he's probably a match for them. Naruto will need the extra protection, even if Gohan-kun is injured."

"Wait, you said probably," Pakkun pointed out. "Does that mean he isn't? Gohan's not exactly a weak person."

Sarutobi was silent before he answered. "Each one of the Akatsuki," he said finally, "are either as strong as Orochimaru or stronger than him. Gohan-kun is not yet a match for Orochimaru, but if he could break his second seal, he could be, and maybe even more than a match, but it means that as he is now, Gohan-kun is probably incapable of defeating an Akatsuki, but for now, he would be able to at least slow them down long enough for Jiraiya to back him up."

"I see," Pakkun said. "You sent Gohan along as a delay for the Akatsuki."

"Yes. He doesn't have to stop them. Just slow them down enough for Jiraiya to stop them. And if the rumors about them traveling in pairs are true, then Jiraiya will need all the help he can get, especially against Uchiha Itachi." Sarutobi steepled his fingers and stared at the grain of his desktop. Abruptly he stood and pulled of his Hokage robes and hat, revealing his armor underneath it. "Take me to Kakashi," he commanded.

"Yes sir," Pakkun answered. He leapt out the window and vanished across the rooftops, Sarutobi right next to him.

* * *

"That was a close one," Kisame said some hours later as the two Akatsuki duo, chakra depleted and weakened, dashed up a river, their sandals splashing as they hit the water's surface. "I thought we were done for when the Professor showed up."

Itachi's dark eyes, devoid of the Sharingan for the first time Kisame could remember, flicked over his shark-like partner then back to their path. "Our escape was certain," he answered. "With Kakashi-sempai incapacitated by Tsukuyomi and his son injured by your Samehada, there was nothing the Sandaime could've done to pursue us. All we have to worry about now is Konoha's ANBU."

"Oh," Kisame answered sarcastically, "is that all? All we have to worry about is the best Special Forces in the shinobi world? And I thought we'd have it easy."

"Quiet. You'll make their job easier."

"We didn't even get to see if the fox brat was in the village!" Kisame went on, whining like a little kid. "I wanted to see if he was any good. I mean, he did beat down the Sand kid and helped bring down Zabuza. He can't be all that bad."

"Naruto-kun is not in the village," Itachi stated, surprising Kisame with his certainty. "He left just after we got there with Jiraiya of the Sannin and one other, probably someone Naruto-kun's age."

"How'd you figure that one out?"

Itachi's lips quirked up in what might've been a smirk, but it was too faint to tell. "I read the lips of the dog as it spoke to Kakashi-sempai, just before he lost consciousness."

"If the brat's out of the village, it makes our job easy!" Kisame crowed. "All we gotta do is swipe the brat and go!"

"You truly are a fool," Itachi snapped, in a rare display of anger. "Jiraiya is with him. Do you think you could take down a Sannin?"

Kisame blinked in surprise at the anger then frowned. "Guess it won't be so easy, eh, Itachi?" The Uchiha didn't dignify him with a response.

* * *

"We'll stop here," Jiraiya said the next day. They'd left Konoha the day before under extreme haste. Jiraiya hadn't even allowed Gohan to pack a bag, which was of no consequence since the boy had his capsules, but the Sannin didn't know that. They had been moving at a fast clip all night and now they were almost thirty miles from Konoha. Jiraiya finally allowed himself to relax a bit. They would be safe for the time being. The Sannin hoped Kakashi bought them enough time.

Now they were outside a bustling town with was in the middle of some festival. Tourists and residents and off-duty shinobi all mixed and mingled, laughing, drinking, and generally having a good time without a care in the world. "You two wait here, I'll get us a room." The pervert moved off into the crowd and Naruto began bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet, grinning like a madman.

"Looks like fun!" The blond said, trying to see as far as he could. The town was nestled in a short box canyon, with walls that were only thirty feet or so high and the far end of the canyon had been shaped by human hands to a gentle slope, allowing the main street to run right through town and into the gently rolling hills and forests behind it. The rest of the town spilled towards the pair like paint, spreading out as it passed the canyon walls. Everywhere they looked, there were paper lanterns, stalls, restaurants and other fun activities. "Hope Ero-Sennin gets back soon."

"I'm sure he will," Gohan answered with a laugh at seeing Naruto's exuberance. His lame arm itched, so he scratched at it absently, noting with a frown the it felt a bit like he'd slept on the limb all night and now it was asleep. He tried to flex the fingers, though he knew it was useless, and all he got was a feeble twitch in his thumb. Gohan sighed. The sooner they found this Tsunade person, the better. He looked forward to the day that he got the use of his arm back.

Jiraiya was easy enough to spot as he came back through the crowd because of his red haori and bright white hair. "I found us a room," he said when the three met up again. "It's that hotel at the end of the street there."

"This better not be some brothel," Naruto said, squinting accusingly up at his sensei.

"Like I'd take a gentle soul like Gohan to a place like that," Jiraiya answered, mussing the hair of his godkid.

"What about me?" Naruto fumed, knocking the hand away. "I'm gentle!"

"Like a flying sledge hammer," Jiraiya shot back quickly. "Right Gohan?"

Gohan laughed nervously at the intense glare he got from Naruto. "No comment, Jiraiya-sama," the warrior answered evasively. He left out the fact that he'd probably seen enough of a woman's body to not be surprised, even if they did get a room in a brothel. Gohan blamed Roshi for that one. The old man left his smutty magazines everywhere.

Jiraiya huffed. "I told you it's Jiraiya or Jiraiya-san. That –sama crap makes me feel respectable and old, neither of which I am." Gohan nodded, but Jiraiya didn't think the kid would do anything else but call him Jiraiya-sama. Whoever his mother was, she'd done a good job of beating manners into his head, to the point it was almost annoying.

"I dunno about the old part," Naruto muttered. Unfortunately for him, Jiraiya overheard him and smacked the back of his head, nearly sending Naruto through the side of a game stall. Finally, after much arguing, fuming, and yelling, which made mostly everyone on the thoroughfare look at them funny, the trio arrived at the hotel. It was a solid place, much like the college dorms that Gohan had seen back home on the rare chances his mother allowed him to go to the city.

"Hey handsome," a woman purred to Jiraiya. Naruto and Gohan sighed when the saw him switch to what Naruto was beginning to call 'Ero-mode'. Gohan tuned the rest of the conversation out, but he did notice when Jiraiya left with the woman, throwing Naruto the key and absently telling the boys to go up to the room and then do whatever they wanted.

"That damn Ero-sennin!" Naruto yelled angrily, once they were safely in their room. He let lose with a tirade of expletives that Gohan was sure Sakura would've punished the blond severely for. Gohan looked out the window, watching the clouds drift lazily past while Naruto continued to ramble on in the background. He never noticed the two men in black cloaks in the stall across the street.

* * *

"So's that the Kyuubi brat?" Kisame asked Itachi as they stood watching the young saiyan in the window.

"No," Itachi answered, Sharingan in place. The Kekkei Genkai allowed the user to see the chakra that suffused a human and Gohan's was almost frightening. It was flickering oddly, like a TV with bad static, as if Gohan's chakra wasn't really chakra but something that very similar in nature, to the point that the Sharingan got the two confused. "That's not Naruto-kun."

"So what about the old bastard?"

Itachi's lips quirked up in a smirk, then flattened down into his normal expressionless face. "He's distracted."

"Good! Then let's get this over with!"

"Indeed." They stood, Kisame hefting Samehada to its place on his back.

The two missing-nin crossed the street and went into the hotel.

* * *

"Nice shot, Jiraiya-sama," the woman on Jiraiya's arm cooed to him as he hooked a ring around a goldfish bowl with a casual flick of his wrist. The old pervert laughed heartily, having the time of his life. It wasn't often a woman came on to him like this. Usually it was the other way around and he got slapped or beat senseless, it depended on the woman, for his troubles.

He had no idea the troubles that were about to befall Gohan and Naruto.

* * *

Gohan sighed as he rubbed his numb arm again. It was odd. The flesh beneath the hand felt fine, warm and soft as it should, the flesh backed by rock hard muscle, but the arm felt nothing. He couldn't feel hot or cold, pressure, texture or anything. The only thing he got when he tried to move it was either nothing or a feeble twitch and he still felt lopsided. He'd done some training recently to try and balance out his fighting style to compensate, but he hadn't been able to put much effort into it. He quit contemplating his arm and looked around.

"Where's Jiraiya-sama? Isn't he back yet?" Gohan asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno what he's doing." The blond looked thoughtful though. "But it is weird. Usually he gets dumped pretty quickly and comes right back."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Naruto grinned. "See? I told you." The ninja went for the door. Gohan frowned. It was odd. He didn't sense Jiraiya at all. He flung his senses out wide. He could go further with his senses when specifically 'looking' for someone as opposed to casually 'listening'. The frown deepened when he found Jiraiya, on the other side of the village. The two beyond the door were unfamiliar.

"Got dumped already?" the blond called through the door.

Naruto's hand stretched out.

Room service? No, this inn didn't have that. Cleaning perhaps? No, the beds were fully made, the linens crisp and clean. The young warrior's mind wandered back to the meeting with the Hokage. Kakashi's dog had said something that had the leader of the village on edge. Akatsuki. That didn't sound good. It had made Jiraiya nervous for the better part of the day when they were leaving. He was always looking around, furtively, like a shinobi on edge for assault and he was eternally glancing at Naruto, as if to make sure the blond was still there.

Naruto's hand touched the doorknob and began to turn it.

What if this Akatsuki thing was after Naruto for some reason? Gohan blinked in sudden realization. That woman had come out of nowhere. One of Jiraiya's greatest weaknesses was women. He was well-known shinobi and a well-known pervert. Of course anyone who knew anything about Jiraiya would know that.

Gohan gaped as everything came together.

"Naruto! NO!"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, but it was too late. The door was already partway out of its resting place. It was too late to shut it and lock it. The door exploded inwards, dissolving into so much splintery shrapnel. Naruto was thrown into the wall with a grunt. Gohan flickered and blurred as he dodged the flying fragments at super-high speed.

A long white object cut through the sky above Gohan. He looked up only for the briefest of seconds, to know where it would land, then he was out of the way, standing on the windowsill a good four feet back.

The blade slammed to earth, smashing right through the floor. Gohan could hear the panicking screams of the room below. The attacker, a massive man, as tall as Piccolo, pulled the white object, a bandage-wrapped sword Gohan noted, from the floor and slung it carelessly over his shoulder. The man's face was frightful, blue-tinged with beady, menacing eyes, teeth filed to points and marks around his eyes that looked suspiciously like gills on a shark. In fact, the man as a whole looked like a shark. His hirai-ate was the same as Zabuza's had been, but the etching had a vicious line drawn through it.

"Good reflexes," the man remarked with a satisfied grin. "You're better than the average genin. I might actually have some fun." He looked over his shoulder at a person Gohan could just barely see. "Hey, Itachi, do we need this one? Can I have some fun with him?"

The second man stepped out from behind his partner's bulk. He glanced over Naruto and Gohan and both boys were surprised to see the gashed etching of Konoha on his forehead and the distinctive marks of the Sharingan in his eyes. "Hold on for a minute, Kisame," Itachi said, brushing his long slate bangs out of his eyes.

"The Sharingan?" Naruto breathed. "Wait…you're…Sasuke's brother!" He shivered as the Butcher of the Uchiha Clan's gaze passed over him, taking him in and analyzing him without effort or emotion.

Itachi's head inclined ever so slightly. "Yes," he answered. "My name is Uchiha Itachi. Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun and…" he glanced over Gohan just as he'd done to Naruto. Gohan shivered but kept up a defiant front. "I'm afraid I don't know you."

"Son Gohan."

"Nice to meet you, Son Gohan-kun."

"Can't say the feeling's mutual."

Itachi shrugged gracefully. "Understandable, however, decorum shouldn't be violated just because of one's feelings." The Sharingan found Naruto again. "Naruto-kun, I'm afraid I must ask you to come with us." His crimson eyes bored into Naruto's stomach. "You have something we want."

Naruto looked sick as he paled and one hand convulsed on his stomach, where the Kyuubi was sealed, though Gohan had no idea and was left to wonder what the hell was going on that these two shinobi had such a big interest in Gohan's roommate. Itachi extended one hand. "Come with us, Naruto-kun. If you come with us willingly, I assure you, Gohan-kun and Jiraiya-sama will be spared."

"If not," Kisame added, hefting the bandaged sword, "I'll just shear off your arms and legs, kill the other brat, and then tie you to my back and we can leave that way. It's your choice."

"Make the right one, Naruto-kun," Itachi finished. The hand remained.

"Don't do it, Naruto!" Gohan called, shaking the other teen out of the trance he seemed to be in. "Don't let them get whatever it is!" Gohan found himself staring down Samehada's blunt white tip.

"Shut up," Kisame said conversationally. "The squirt's a big boy. He doesn't need your help." Naruto stared at Gohan for a few seconds then strode forward and reached for Itachi's hand. Kisame grinned. "Wise choice, kid."

Naruto slapped Itachi's hand away then lashed out at the Uchiha himself. The kick was easily avoided as Itachi hopped back a half-step. "Go to hell!" Naruto yelled angrily. A red haze began to swirl around him and the temperature in the room shot up a few degrees. "I'm not handing it over to you!"

Gohan grinned, transforming in a burst of light. He wasn't sure how much help he could be, but he wasn't about to let Naruto fight these two single-handedly. Both boys let out warcries as Gohan's aura flared out wider and brighter and Naruto was suffused in boiling red chakra that took on the shape of a fox with long ears and one tail, which split at the tip and divided into two.

Itachi and Kisame were forced back out into the hall by the pounding shockwaves the powers were giving off, contained as they were in the small and confined room. Gohan's eyes flicked over Naruto, narrowing with wonder. He was using that power again, that dark, malevolent power that spread bloodlust through the air. Naruto crouched, the two tails waving, his claws easily gouging the woodwork, his fangs glinting as he growled deep in his throat, making the thickened whisker marks on his cheeks tremble as if alive, predatory cat-like eyes never once moving their crimson gaze from the two Akatsuki. "You ready?" Naruto asked Gohan. The Super Saiyan blinked, but decided that if Naruto had control of himself, it was probably okay to trust his back to the genin.

"Yeah." His eyes hardened into chips of emerald. "Let's do this!"

Kisame took one look at the Two-Tailed Naruto and Super Saiyan Gohan before laughing excitedly. "Finally some action! Hey, Itachi, wanna make this fun and do a two-on-two? I'll take the fox-brat if you wanna take blondie over there."

"I suppose we really have no choice," Itachi answered. "We'll do it your way, Kisame."

"Be careful, Naruto," Gohan said.

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Naruto shouted, lunging at Kisame. The sharkman grinned and swung Samehada. The two collided in a burst of chakra and were thrown into the hallway. Only seconds later, the sounds of battle began echoing down the hall.

Itachi sighed, unsnapping the first few buttons of his cloak. "I apologize, Gohan-kun," the Uchiha said. "Kisame is impulsive sometimes." Gohan lowered himself into a fighting stance, pointedly not looking at the Sharingan. He knew what that thing could do and he didn't need to be hypnotized. He concentrated on Itachi's core, any attack would be seen coming from there. "I see. You know about the Sharingan and thus you watch my center of mass. A wise tactic, Gohan-kun."

"Here's another one for you!" Gohan growled. He spun and thrust his hand at the window. A ki blast erupted from his palm, smashed through the window and arced into the sky. Gohan waited a fraction of a second then clenched his fist, detonating the blast and bathing the village in a bright golden light. He prayed that would attract Jiraiya's attention and get him back to the hotel.

* * *

"You're too much, Jiraiya-sama," the woman, Keiko she said her name was, laughed as she and the Sannin shared a jar of sake. He'd just finished telling her a story that wasn't particularly entertaining and she was laughing as if it was the funniest thing in the world. He frowned, sighing inwardly. This wasn't what he'd had in mind. There was something wrong with this…

"Hey! What's that?" A patron asked. Jiraiya turned to look out the window. Sitting over the village like a flare was a massive ball of glowing energy. It floated for the ground then vanished just as fast as it appeared. Jiraiya frowned. That was a ki blast. It could only be Gohan, who was at the hotel, so what would he be doing sending a blast like that? It was more of a signal than anything.

He turned to the woman. "Sorry, Keiko-chan," he said, standing and laying down some money to pay for the sake. "I have to go check up on my student and his friend."

"Don't go Jiraiya-sama!" She called latching onto his arm. "Please stay with me!"

"Sorry, I can't." He pulled his arm from her grip and moved for the door again.

Keiko rammed a knife into his back, her eyes vacant and blank. Jiraiya's haori and scroll fluttered to the ground, devoid of its occupant. The woman had just enough time to blink before a hard tap made her pass out. "I thought so," the Sannin muttered. "Genjutsu." He frowned. "And I fell for it. Dammit!" He pulled on his haori and scroll and dashed back towards the hotel. "Naruto, Gohan, please be alright!"

* * *

Naruto slammed into the wall of the hallway with a sickening crunch, the fox's chakra fading from his body as Kisame's sword, devoid of bandages thanks to a swipe from Naruto's claws, rippled and writhed, as if it had a life of its own. The blade was the same bluish color of Kisame's skin and it exactly like its name implied. It had devoured the youki with only a flick of the Akatsuki's wrist. "Too bad, squirt," Kisame gloated, shouldering the weapon again. He wasn't even breathing hard. "Give it a little time and you'd really be something. Unfortunately, you won't get that chance."

He advanced on Naruto.

Gohan grunted as Itachi slammed him into the wall at the other end of the hall. Their fierce taijutsu battle had led to this point, but Itachi was swift and used his Sharingan to keep ahead of Gohan, constantly battering the warrior from his bad side.

"Impressive, Gohan-kun. I can see why Orochimaru marked you." His finger jabbed hard into the Cursed Seal on Gohan's neck, making him wince. "But remember this." He leaned in and whispered into Gohan's ear. "I'm more powerful than Orochimaru." Gohan met Itachi's eyes by instinct from the sheer shock of the revelation. Too late he realized his mistake as Itachi's eyes shifted into another form.

"Tsukuyomi."

Gohan felt himself fall into Itachi's eyes and the world went black.

* * *

Well things have gone to hell in a hand basket for Naruto and Gohan. Now, there's something that needs to be addressed. Again. I think I might have said this way back in chapter 1 or some other earlier chapter, but since people either don't read my author's notes or decide to ignore them regardless, I'm gonna say it again. I keep getting reviews that say, in essence, "You're retarded! Gohan's too weak and you've overpowered the Naruto people way too much! Gohan could destroy a planet without transforming and....blah blah blah, etc, etc. you get the idea." To those people who've decided to send me that type of review, I say only this.

"No shit Sherlock."

I'm well aware that Gohan could decimate the entire shinobi world with a wave of his hand. You think I didn't consider that when I sat down to write this story? There are those who've said the same as the above but have acknowledged the fact that I did what needed to be done, and to those people, I thank you for at least either seeing my side of things, or at least letting me know in a way that isn't too obnoxious. To those who absolutely hate this story, have come this far into it, and cannot wait to send me a review that says a variation of the above STOP! Right now, quit reading, and hit the link to take you back to the homepage. It takes less effort and it doesn't waste your time writing the review, nor does it waste mine by having me read it. I do read all the reviews I get, even if I don't say anything back.

I'm sorry if this was a little harsh, but my patience has finally given out and this is the result.

So I've said my piece. Please heed my wishes and just click the link back to the homepage if all you're going to do is write a review that yells at me for the whole power thing and nothing else. If you're going to criticize constructively or you're going to just tell me what you like about the fic, by all means, proceed onward. I look forward to reading your reviews.

Do not make me repeat myself again in a future A/N.

Sincerely,

~WingedFreedom622


	26. Red Moon Illusions

Disclaimer: See this spot in the other twenty-five chapters

* * *

"Where am I?" Gohan wondered, looking around. The world around him was dark. There wasn't much to see besides pressing darkness. When he looked at his own body, the only way he could discern himself from the black background was the way his body looked like black granite or obsidian. The sky above him was a sickly blood-red and the moon hung full in the sky, like an eye that was constantly watching him. Clouds scooted across the bloody heavens like a time-lapse video. "What's going on here!?"

The warrior turned in a slow circle. "Where's Naruto and that shark guy?"

"They're here, Gohan-kun."

Gohan spun around. Standing only feet behind him was Itachi. He looked just like Gohan, but the Uchiha traitor's eyes were the same crimson Gohan remembered. "We haven't left," the missing-nin went on, "but that shouldn't matter to you. Now we are in the world of Tsukuyomi."

"Tsuku…yomi?" Gohan repeated slowly.

"Yes. A genjutsu world where I control everything. Time, space, matter, temperature, weather, sight, hearing, sound, touch, taste. Everything is under my command. For the next three days, you are my plaything."

"I don't believe you!" Gohan shouted. He leaped at Itachi and thrust out with one fist. Itachi's head exploded into black vapor and swirled away on a wind that wasn't there. The rest of him followed soon after. "You don't have the chakra for that!"

"An astute observation," Itachi's voice echoed from the darkness. "But it doesn't matter. For you and I, three days will pass. For Naruto and Kisame, only three seconds." Itachi's voice was suddenly in Gohan's ear. The saiyan stiffened. He hadn't even felt the approach. "This will be the longest three days of your life." Gohan swiped with an elbow and again hit black vapor. "You'll beg for death by the end."

"I don't beg!"

"Proud to the end. Admirable, but futile. When I say you'll beg." Before Gohan could register what was happening, he'd been slammed to the ground and Itachi had jammed a knife into his eye. Gohan's screams of pain filled the dark world of Tsukuyomi as Itachi stood over him, watching dispassionately as the young warrior rolled around, clutching at his eye. "You _will_ beg."

Gohan only managed a whimper of pain.

He was standing again, perfectly whole, perfectly fine. Gohan blinked and slowly, afraid of what he might find, prodded his eyelid. He almost cried as he felt the eyeball beneath the lid. Itachi hadn't moved. "Just a small sample," he said, "of what the Tsukuyomi can do."

"You'd better get on with it," Gohan snapped, waiting for the retribution, but not caring at all. "You only have three days right? It's been what, five minutes?"

"Foolish little boy," Itachi answered. "You have seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds to go in the world of Tsukuyomi." Gohan felt the blood drain from his face. The shadows blossomed from behind Itachi and enveloped Gohan like a sticky black mass. He struggled against it as hard as he could, but nothing he did dislodged the oily black film.

Gohan slammed to the ground and winced as he landed on his shoulder. He pushed himself to his feet and froze. He was pushing himself up with both arms. His lame arm was right and whole again, as if Kabuto had never cut the nerves in it. Gohan stared at his hand in wonder, flexing it. It looked real, felt real…it was…real.

The warrior looked around for Itachi. The elder Uchiha was nowhere to be found, but Gohan's blood turned to ice anyway. He was standing in a natural bowl made by cliffs and small mountains. The trashed remains of an entire army littered the crater-blasted landscape around him. Bodies were strewn around, whole and in pieces, each recognizable face bearing an expression of intense horror. White blood spilled from those who'd been ripped in half, staining the black obsidian ground. He knew this place. Knew it in his deepest, darkest, nightmares. Even now, months and months later, he still had dreams about this place and what had transpired here. The death and destruction, the fear and desperation.

His heart was beginning to beat faster in his chest. His breath began to shorten, coming in smaller and faster gasps. A cold sweat clung to his skin, running in fat wet drops down his cheeks and dripping from his chin and the tips of his nose.

"No," he whispered, voice loud in the barren landscape. "It can't be."

"Oh but it is!" Called the voice that Gohan feared he would hear soon. The footsteps started. Of all the things Gohan remembered from this place, the footsteps were definitely in the top three. That horrible squeaking and clanking noise that seemed to haunt his every nightmare.

Gohan turned, trembling from head to toe. "It's not possible. You're dead! I killed you!"

Cell, the killer android who'd almost destroyed the world, stood before him. Gohan was back at the Cell Games, that twisted version of the Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament, the scene of Gohan's worst nightmare. Almost fearing what he would find, Gohan looked up towards the cliffs on his left side. Sure enough, his friends and family, from Piccolo to Goku, to Yamcha and Tien and Trunks and Vegeta, all of them stood on the cliff side, looking down at him watching with anticipation.

Goku looked the most expectant.

There was one face out of place, Gohan realized with a thrill. Itachi, in his Akatsuki cloak and scarred hirai-ate, stood in the background behind Vegeta and Trunks, watching him.

The squeaking footsteps started again. Gohan tried not to tremble as he looked back at Cell as the android advanced on him. 'This is an illusion,' Gohan told himself. 'It's all a trick. I'm not home, I'm another dimension, with Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi and Sasuke and everyone else. The Cell Games are over. Cell's dead. I killed him.'

"You did indeed kill me," Cell said with a snicker as if he'd read Gohan's mind. "But you can't destroy me, Son Gohan. I'll always be with you, in the shadows. I'll be the one that you fear to find, waiting to jump out…"

Cell's mottled arm shot from Gohan's shadow and grabbed him by the ankle. The warrior looked down in surprise and horror.

"And grab you!"

A second Cell pulled itself from Gohan's shadow. Each limb was bloated and grotesque, the face distorted and bubbly, like the android was about to blow up. The first Cell shot forward and blasted Gohan hard in the jaw. Gohan shouted in pain as he felt his jaw break. He was wrenched from the sadistic android's grip and thrown away. He capitalized, stabilizing himself and shooting back at the other warrior.

His fist crunched hard into Cell's metal and flesh nose.

The android burst into an oil slick, just like a Mizu Bunshin would do.

The world rewound to the point where Cell was advancing on Gohan again, only this time, it was Itachi striding towards him, not the biomechanical menace. "Seventy-two hours," the ninja said softly, "fifty-nine minutes and fifty-eight seconds to go in the world of Tsukuyomi."

The world dissolved into a swirl of black and white and when it stopped, Gohan was standing away from a ring of warriors. He heard a voice, his voice, shouting.

"No! Dad, stop!"

Gohan's blood turned to ice again. He _knew _what was coming. Goku was about to take Cell to Kaio-sama's planet and sacrifice himself to try and save the world. "No!" Gohan howled, running forwards as fast as his legs would carry him. He ran faster than he'd ever run in his life. The world sailed past, a simple blur in the corners of his vision.

Yet he never seemed to get closer.

He burst into the center of the ring of warriors just as Goku vanished.

"DAAAAAAAAAD!" Both Gohans, one a Super Saiyan, the other an Ascended Super Saiyan, howled together. The two Gohans merged and became one as a massive white explosion lit the sky. Gohan knew what it was. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!"

It was an illusion, Gohan tried to tell himself. It was an illusion. It wasn't real, it wasn't happening. But it was happening, another side of himself said. It had already happened. Goku had already died…all because of Gohan and his arrogance.

The scene reset, but the swollen form of Cell was gone and Itachi was in his place again. There was a kunai in his hand. Goku was glaring the Uchiha down. "I'm not gonna let you destroy this world!" Gohan's father shouted, drawing back to blast the traitor.

"Dad no!" Gohan shouted. He tried to get up to help, but his legs were frozen in place. When Gohan looked down, he was horrified to see he didn't have legs. He was simply a torso sitting on the ground. He looked back up. Goku was starting his swing. "DAD!"

Itachi's kunai flashed through the air. It sliced through Goku's head with hardly any effort. Gohan screamed in anguish, as if it had been his own head that had gotten slashed off as his father's hit the ground and rolled away, white blood spraying from the headless body as it collapsed.

Rage like nothing Gohan had ever felt flooded his system, awakening his fighting spirit. "ITACHI!!"

He was behind Itachi even before either warrior knew what was happening. Gohan's fist flashed, smashing through Itachi's head. White blood sprayed over the ground as the body collapsed, landing with a hard thud. Gohan straightened. He'd put so much power behind the attack he hadn't even seen it hit. His entire body, soul, and ki had come into play.

"How cruel of you, Gohan-kun," Itachi said, standing on Goku's corpse, unharmed. "Are you so desperate to defeat me that you'll even kill your friends?"

Gohan looked down.

A headless female body was splayed over the ground, the limbs twisted and disjointed. The saiyan frowned. Android 18 had been the old female at the battle that day, and she'd been a part of Cell at the time, until Gohan had forced the android to spit her out with one well-place blow to the abdomen. Then it dawned on Gohan just who's head he'd split, who's blood was on his fist.

Bulma.

He knew it was an illusion. He knew it wasn't real, he knew Bulma was still alive and well.

But the scream of anguish tore itself from his throat anyway.

He felt as if he'd been turned to stone.

Gohan tried to move but found out quickly that it wasn't that he felt like stone, he _was _stone! His body had turned into glassy, glossy, obsidian, and Itachi was standing next to him with a chisel, while a second Itachi stood among Gohan's friends again, all of them, Bulma and Goku included, hale, healthy and whole.

The two Itachis nodded to each other and, as the first one stepped up to Krillin, knife in hand, the second Itachi, which Gohan was fairly sure was the original, stepped up to him, placing the chisel on Gohan's glass-smooth skin. Gohan tried to shout out, to warn them, to tell Itachi not to, anything, but his mouth was glued shut, as immovable as the stone he'd become. Some small part of Gohan's mind noted that he could feel the chisel with no problem.

'This is gonna hurt,' he thought numbly as the second Itachi grabbed Krillin by his neck and wrenched his head back. Simultaneously, the two Itachi's swung.

Krillin's chest burst in a spray of white.

Pain like nothing Gohan had ever felt before surged through his body like liquid fire, setting every nerve on fire, a thousand fiery snakes that sank their fangs into him again and again.

The chip that had broken off from his skin clicked innocently as it landed, but the pain didn't stop or dull in any way. The second Itachi spun and grabbed Bulma by her hair, wrenched her off her feet, slammed her to the ground and raised his white-stained knife high above his head.

Gohan couldn't see Bulma, with Itachi sitting astride her like he was, but he heard the squelch of flesh separating under the keen edge of a knife, saw the white arterial spray and saw Bulma's legs convulse erratically.

His leg seared as another chip was gouged from his skin.

Soon all of Gohan's friends and family were dead and he was in immeasurable pain, chips of black rock littering the ground. He wanted to scream out, in rage or pain or anguish or something, but his mouth was still immobile. When Gohan's friends were dead and gone, the world faded to black and Itachi began chipping almost absently.

Gohan wished that he could felt the pain absently, but it was always as fresh as the first chip, and the first chip still hurt as badly as it had when it had been taken out. Slowly, for hours, or days, or _months_, even, Itachi chipped away at Gohan's skin. When every square inch of the boy's body was filled with pockmarks, Itachi returned to the first chip on Gohan's arm and slammed the chisel home, then smashed it with a hammer.

The pain was doubly intense. Gohan wanted to pass out, but he couldn't. He wanted to vomit, but couldn't. He wanted to cry, but couldn't. He wanted to kill Itachi, but was powerless to do anything. He was at Itachi's mercy, as helpless as a newborn baby.

"You still have seventy hours, fifteen minutes, and thirty seconds left, Gohan-kun," Itachi whispered as he worked. "I know how people who wear their hearts on their sleeves work. Nothing pains you more than being powerless to those you've given your heart to, be it the friends that Tsukuyomi has plucked from your mind, or the new ones you've made here, in the world of the shinobi."

The world brightened before Gohan's eyes. He stood in Konoha, at the street in front of the Hokage's Tower. Behind him soared the Kage monument and before him lay Konoha proper. The gates were just visible from his vantage point, almost too easy to see in the blank street. Then the streets filled slowly, with the friends that Itachi had already killed and the new friends that Gohan had just made in his months in the shinobi world.

"You will watch me torture them, Gohan-kun, as I chip away at your body." He leaned in close, his voice soft in Gohan's ear. "Curse your powerlessness. It's that which has put you in this situation. You're strong, but you're still weak." He leaned in closer, lips only inches from the frozen Saiyan's ear, voice so soft Gohan could barely hear it, even as close as the traitor shinobi was. "And it's all your fault that they will die, both here and in the real world."

Gohan screamed.

* * *

His anguished cry echoed all up and down the hall, lingering long after his voice had stopped sounding.

"Ohh?" Kisame asked, turning towards Itachi. "You used that on him? Brutal."

"Perhaps, but less brutal than fighting him head on," Itachi answered, releasing Gohan's neck. The warrior slammed to the ground, eyes staring vacantly up at the ceiling, mouth still open in mid-scream, tears and saliva running down his cheeks and chin. His entire body was shaking, his breathing going faster and faster as the stress hit him all at once.

Gohan hyperventilated and passed out, keeling sideways with a solid thump, golden hair fading to natural black the second his eyes closed.

Itachi turned away and walked back up the hall towards Kisame and Naruto, wiping a tear-like trail of blood from one eye. "Though I have to commend him. It took much longer than I thought to make him actually succumb to Tsukuyomi and beg for his life to end."

"What?" Naruto asked. "What're you talking about?"

"A technique of the Mangenkyou Sharingan," Itachi said, inspecting his blood-smeared palm. "It causes immense physical and mental pain to the recipient, lasting for, in their perception, three days, when in our world, three seconds pass." Itachi stared down his nose at Naruto. "It's a technique used for torture."

Naruto felt his blood run cold and he clenched his fist. "You tortured him!?" The genin demanded. Itachi nodded. "You bastard!" He surged to his feet and lunged at Itachi. The elder Uchiha leaned backwards, letting Naruto overextend, then swept his foot up and around, catching Naruto in the side of his head, batting Naruto through the wall and into a room, where a couple that had clearly been in the middle of some activities that had been of a more risqué nature shrieked and hurried to cover up.

The genin lay on a bed of toothpicks that might've been a dresser, wincing and holding his ribs. Itachi stepped through the hole in the wall, walking past the couple without a second glance, and grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his jacket, hauling him off his feet and into the air. He slung the younger shinobi over his back like a backpack and headed back for the hole. He paused just before it.

"Excuse us," Itachi said to the couple before striding through the section of the wall where the door had been. The man and woman blinked, looked at each other, then scrambled as if their lives depended on it, hopping into their discarded clothes so fast that even the Sharingan would've had trouble tracking it.

"Well, we got what we came for," Kisame said, shouldering Samehada. "Let's get the hell out of Dodge before that damn Sannin realized what's happened here." They took two steps then froze, suddenly on alert.

Without words Itachi and Kisame sprang apart, just as the wall they'd been standing next to exploded inward in a hail of splinters and powder.

"RASENGAN!"

Jiraiya rolled through the cloud and came up on his feet. His glare was intense, something very out of place on the normally laughing visage, mouth set in a grim and stern line, killing intent rolling off him in waves. Kisame grinned.

"So, the old coot got here in time anyway huh?" Samehada came off the shoulder. "Well I guess there's nothing to it but to kill him, huh Itachi?"

Itachi nodded. He'd come to the same conclusion himself. If it was possible, Itachi would've loved to get out of the hotel without any further violence, but Jiraiya was too skilled and too good at what he did to just allow them to slip past. Genjutsu was useless, since Jiraiya would recognize and dispel it almost as soon as it was cast. Tsukuyomi had sapped much of Itachi's strength. It was a burden just to maintain the Sharingan, never mind casting Amaterasu or Susanoo, but Itachi had enough chakra left to do just that, should circumstances require him to, though he'd be laid up for several days if he did.

"Black cloaks with red clouds," Jiraiya said, glancing over their uniforms. "So you really are Akatsuki, then? Looks like you really are collecting Bijuu and their Jinchuuriki."

"You got it, Old Man," Kisame replied with a toothy grin. "And we'll be taking the Kyuubi-brat now!"

"Well there's the problem," Jiraiya said dangerously. "You see, Naruto happens to be my student. It'd be bad for his training if bastards like you took him away from me. How's he supposed to learn if he's separated from his teacher?" He held up a hand and a Rasengan spun to life. "Last chance, hand him over."

Kisame grinned, seized Naruto from Itachi and held him up front like a human shield, Samehada at the blonde's throat. "Last chance for you, Old Man. Let us go or I'll shear his head off." He stuck Samehada closer to Naruto's throat, the barbs on the blade piercing Naruto's skin, letting rivulets of blood run down his neck.

Jiraiya snorted. The Rasengan burst apart and faded in a swirl of wind as the sage's fingers came together. "Kai!"

Naruto shattered and became a pillow, which Itachi had taken from the room before he'd left. The dresser had been the storage place for extra linens. "Nice try, Uchiha," Jiraiya said. "You almost had me going there."

Naruto was still firmly in Itachi's grip, slung like baggage over his shoulder.

"I had a feeling it wouldn't work," Itachi admitted. "But I would prefer to end this with minimal bloodshed, Jiraiya-sama, so I had to try nonetheless."

"Minimal bloodshed?" Jiraiya snorted. "That's rich, coming from the guy who butchered his entire clan just to test his own power."

"The hole?" Kisame asked, not bothering to hide his words.

"The hole," Itachi agreed.

Both bolted for the hole that Jiraiya had made when he'd come bursting into the hotel.

"Kuchiyose! Gamaguchi Shibari no Jutsu!"

The hole covered in a flesh pink, slimy material that spread up and down hall, sealing seamlessly, with no way in or out. It retained the shape of the hall, though, with the lights embedded in the ceiling, shining dim pools of light everywhere.

"What is this shit?" Kisame asked, poking the substance with Samehada. At the touch, the stuff surged forwards, enveloping the blade in the blink of an eye. Kisame's reactions were just as swift as he released the sword's hilt and jumped backwards, only just escaping the encroaching tendrils.

Itachi frowned, then whirled. A massive wave of the stuff had risen up silently behind him, like a wave at the beach, except the wrong color and making sickening squishing noises. Itachi dropped Naruto to move faster and leaped away.

The wave settled to the ground slowly, landing on Naruto and covering him up from head to toe, leaving his face exposed.

"What the hell!?" Naruto wailed just before he was smothered. Behind Jiraiya, a similar thing had happened to Gohan, the warrior already encased in a cocoon of the substance.

"Hold your breath Naruto!"

Naruto did just that as his face was covered. Like a train, the bulge in the floor that represented Naruto spun and shot away, riding up the wall around Jiraiya then stopped next to Gohan's bulge. Both cocoons perforated with air holes and Itachi could just make out a pair of vivid blue eyes staring out at them from the shadows of the inside.

"Interesting jutsu," Itachi commented, testing the ground with one toe.

"I think so. You're trapped in the stomach of one of the fire-breathing toads from Myobokuzan. Not even the Uchiha's affinity for flames can help you here," Jiraiya answered. "You're done. No one's ever gotten out of here alive." He stood up, where he'd crouched to slam his palms on the floor. "And this stomach will be your graves." He tapped the floor twice with one foot.

The Toad-Mouth Trap responded instantly, a wall rising between Itachi and Kisame, sealing seamlessly to the ceiling. Kisame grinned, looking around the pink cubicle he found himself in. "Old Man, it's gonna take more than this to stop us!" He ripped Samehada free of its prison, lacerating the stomach tissue in the process, and proceeded to hack his way out of the cell. He blinked when Jiraiya was nowhere to be found.

A foot smashed into the back of his head, driving him to the ground.

Jiraiya rebounded, landing with a squish back in his original position.

"Not bad for an old fart," Kisame laughed, getting up without a scratch. "I'll have a nice little welt there tomorrow. Oh well the leader will understand at least."

"Watch your mouth, Kisame," Itachi said as his own cubicle burst into black flame, melting a hole for Itachi to walk through. The flesh dissolved into ashes under the force of Amaterasu, but it didn't go out. It sat, burning without pause, never once flickering or threatening to go out. "Don't give away anything about the leader."

"My bad, Itachi," Kisame said with a grin that said the slip was intentional. "Won't happen again."

"No," Itachi agreed, "it won't." His eyes faded to their obsidian black. The renegade pulled out a soldier pill from within the folds of his cloak and popped it into his mouth. Almost as soon as he swallowed, the Sharingan was back.

"You're using a soldier pill?" Kisame asked incredulously.

"No choice," Itachi answered, staring at Jiraiya, trying to catch the sage in the gaze of the Sharingan, but having no luck since the hermit wasn't meeting his eyes. "We'll have to kill Jiraiya-sama to get out of here." Since, he added silently, I don't want to accelerate my eyes' deterioration anymore than I already have today.

"So we're gonna attack him together then?" Kisame asked with a grin.

"Yes."

Jiraiya bit his thumbs in preparation to summon Shiba and Fukasaku. He would need their help to take down two Akatsuki. One he could handle, but two would be a little bit more than a handful, even for him. Both these guys were more powerful than Orochimaru, and Kisame's chakra was on par with that of a Bijuu, and Itachi was a master of the Sharingan and a former ANBU captain to boot, not a favorable combination.

Light blasted from behind Jiraiya, followed by a shockwave that blew all three shinobi off their feet. When Jiraiya managed to look, he saw that Gohan's cocoon had burst open from the inside. In the center of the intense light, almost as intense as the sun, he could see a shadow hunched over. "I have a bad feeling about this," Jiraiya muttered.

"So the little brat wasn't out!?" Kisame shouted over the roar of the wind ripping off the teen's figure. Itachi had no response.

The light faded.

When Gohan was finally visible, Jiraiya felt a shiver of dread crawl up his spine.

There were teardrop-like black marks all over his skin. Bioelectricity was peeling off him in waves, his aura flaring higher than Jiraiya had ever seen or heard of. It wasn't so much a flame as it was a cone of power that started at his feet and shot to the ceiling. Gohan's mop-top was vivid gold again.

"The Curse Seal?" Itachi asked. "Why did it activate now?"

"Fuuja Houin," Jiraiya answered. "Dammit, it wasn't supposed to release unless Gohan willed it to."

Gohan turned to face them.

His eyes were white.

It suddenly made sense.

"He's still unconscious," Jiraiya breathed. "Shit, I've heard of this kind of thing happening. Supposedly if a martial artist trains long and hard enough, his body will continue to press on even if his mind is out for lunch."

"And since he was rendered unconscious by Tsukuyomi," Itachi continued, the fight between Jiraiya and the two Akatsuki forgotten in the face of this development, "the Fuuja Houin wasn't able to continue to draw off his will. This will be difficult."

The lights above them blew out one right after another, popping in sequence like firecrackers. The Gamaguchi Shibari remained lit only because of Gohan's aura and flashing electricity.

"Che," Kisame said, waving Samehada. "Little brat can't be much more powerful than he was and Itachi kicked his ass the first time around."

Kisame's face didn't have time to change expression as Gohan's fist buried itself right between the shark-man's eyes.

He flew back like a shot put, smashing into the stomach at the other end of the hall. The wall outside shattered outward as the stomach lining continued to bow outwards. It snapped back into place like a rubber band, throwing Kisame right at Gohan.

The warrior sidestepped and allowed Kisame to smash into the wall right beside Naruto. Itachi and Jiraiya managed to process what happened only after Kisame hit the ground. Both leaped away from Gohan as he lashed out at them both, missing but barely.

Jiraiya felt blood drip down his chin. "Damn," he muttered. "And that was just from the shockwave off his fist. If that hits, it's gonna hurt worse than went Tsunade-hime beat me senseless that one time."

"He's much faster than when we fought," Itachi noted as he watched Gohan's sightless eyes. "I wonder why. Is it because of the Cursed Seal?"

"Probably," Jiraiya answered. "It's drawing out his power and potential, and trust me, Gohan's power is frightening."

"I cannot fight you and Gohan-kun at the same time, Jiraiya-sama," Itachi said softly. "And it would seem that Gohan-kun cannot discern friend from foe. It has become a matter of mutual survival." He trailed off, leaving the rest hanging, but Jiraiya got it.

"You want to team up." It wasn't a question.

The renegade Uchiha nodded.

"How do I know you won't stick a knife in my back?" Jiraiya asked, not taking his eyes off Gohan's feet. Hopefully he would see the shift there before his ass got knocked out.

"Because Gohan-kun will kill me," Itachi answered. "Please do not forget that my survival rides on this teamwork as well. After we finish with him, then you should watch your back, but not before. You have my word, Jiraiya-sama."

"The word of a murder."

"Guilty as charged," Itachi agreed. "But I wonder…are you any less guilty than I?"

"I don't think we have the time to get philosophical," Jiraiya replied. Gohan's foot shifted a fraction of an inch. "He's coming. Who's got point?"

"My Sharingan can see his attacks coming, but I don't think I can keep up with this inhuman speed. He's unconscious. His inhibitions have been released. He will show no mercy. When Gohan-kun was limited by his reluctance to kill, I was able to stay ahead of him, but now…even I don't know." Gohan leaned forwards, putting all his weight on his leading foot.

"That's more than I can say. You've got point."

"Very well."

Jiraiya grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Now…let's do this!"

Gohan shot forward, a gold streak in the darkness, the gold flash the only sign of his coming.

* * *

Whoo! Late!!! Sorry about that. I had this chapter written a while ago, but I've just been neglecting to post it. Laziness, that's all I can say, but I'm sure you'll forgive me for this right? ....RIGHT? Anyway, hope you liked the Tsukuyomi scene. Truth to tell, I'm not that happy with it. I don't think I did it justice, but you all can be the judge of that. That said, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh, and before I forget, Gohan has NOT, I repeat NOT, gone SS2. Think of it more as like what happened with Vegeta when he had that Majin mark on his forehead. See you all next time!!

**Glossary**

**Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari no Jutsu (Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind/Toad Mouth Trap): **Jiraiya summons the stomach of the Stone Toad from Myoboku. He can control it at will and, unless one has the Amaterasu in their possession, it's impossible to break out of.

**Tsukuyomi: **A genjutsu specific only to the Mangenkyou Sharingan. The user controls every element of the jutsu to torture his victims, causing them actual pain in the real world. To Itachi and the victim's perception, three days pass at a painfully slow crawl, but in reality only three seconds pass. Very taxing on Itachi's chakra reserves and it speeds up the degredation of his eyes, since the bearer of the Mangenkyou will eventually go blind unless certain preventative measures are taken. The technique, along with Amaterasu and Susanoo, is named for a member of the Shinto pantheon.


	27. Shattered Confidence

Disclaimer: Standard 'I don't own anything' stuff.

* * *

Jiraiya tumbled head over heels, rolling to his feet after only a few flips, but his feet were swept out from under him even before his weight had time to settle down. A firm hand grabbed the back of his gi and slammed him to the ground. Jiraiya's teeth rattled as he felt his back bounce off the wood that was underlying the Gamaguchi Shibari. Gohan's impassive face was above him, hand held flat, a blade that he was going to ram through Jiraiya's gut and probably kill him.

A dark shape swept Gohan off his feet and hurled him away just as Gohan had done to Jiraiya. The sage stood. "Thanks," he grunted, grudgingly, to his impromptu partner. Uchiha Itachi, missing-nin, butcher of an entire clan, currently wanted, and a member of the secretive Akatsuki, nodded, sparing Jiraiya only a quick glance before returning his Sharingan-enhanced gaze on Gohan, who was already on his feet and trotting forwards at a brisk pace, a precursor to an all-out charge. Gohan suddenly broke into a sprint and vanished.

Jiraiya spun on a hunch, trusting Itachi to watch his back should the old man's guess prove to be wrong. It wasn't. Gohan was behind Jiraiya, fist already halfway to the old man's face. Jiraiya avoided the blow. He knew that blocking would break his arms into tiny pieces. It would be like trying to stop a Doton jutsu. Low and inside Gohan's guard, Jiraiya unloaded, smashing a quick double tap into the boy's rock-hard midsection. The punches were chakra-enhanced though and Gohan folded, sightless eyes wide with what might've been surprise. Or it could've been an instinctive reaction, Jiraiya wasn't too sure. Jiraiya snapped the top of his wrist into the boy's jaw, rocking him backwards.

A foot pushed off his back. Itachi hung in the air, flinging a volley of shuriken at the unconscious boy. It was a point blank strike. You would be hard pressed to find a shinobi that could dodge in time, but Gohan wasn't a ninja and his movements weren't his own. He vanished. A hand braced itself on the sage's back. Jiraiya threw a glance of his shoulder. Gohan was on his back, holding his body aloft with one hand, both heels flashing for Itachi's chin. Jiraiya spun, taking away Gohan's support and weakening the blow. Itachi smashed into the top of Gamaguchi Shibari anyway, but the fleshy jutsu cushioned his impact, allowing the Uchiha traitor to drop soundlessly and gently to the floor.

Jiraiya used the momentum of his spin to launch another hammer blow punch at Gohan, but the blond-haired teen blocked it with an open palm, twisted the open hand and deflected Jiraiya's blow to the outside. The old man had no choice but to follow his momentum, bringing his face within easy striking distance of the warrior's deadly fists.

Pain erupted behind Jiraiya's eyes as a vicious palm-strike smashed into his nose. The sage felt blood splash over his face and for a second he had trouble breathing. His nose had been broken. Only then was the Sannin aware of lying on the squishy floor of the Toad Mouth Trap. He didn't even remember falling. Or maybe the term was flying since his back hurt like a son of a bitch. Itachi slammed into the wall next to Jiraiya only a few seconds later. Jiraiya pushed himself upright with a groan, gingerly feeling his shattered nose. He braced himself and gave the bridge a squeeze. Pain flared anew and Jiraiya cried out as he set the broken nose. It would have to do for now until he could either get one of the healer toads or see a human doctor, whichever came first. Of course, that assumed he and Itachi survived this little encounter.

"Have we gotten _any_ good hits in on this kid?" Jiraiya asked.

Itachi shook his head a negative, but he could've just been trying to clear the daze he had to be in. "No, Jiraiya-sama," he murmured, staggering to his feet then helping the older shinobi up. "He's gotten much faster and he doesn't have to react like we do."

"What do you mean?"

"A human, in order to take an action, has to process the situation, devise a plan to deal with the situation, act on that plan, then analyze the results and begin to repeat the process. This can take a few seconds or a few milliseconds, depending on the person. Gohan-kun is unconscious. He's not thinking. The seal is doing the work for him. He has no reaction time. The seal is using what it has available to it to fight us."

"That's why we can't hit him?"

"Yes."

"So to beat him, we would have to interfere with the seal somehow, but that means we would have to devise a seal of constraint that is similar in purpose to the Fuuja Houin but at the same time, doesn't rely on the users willpower and it would have to be self-sustaining and have no ill effects." The sage shook his head but instantly regretted it when his mind filled with fog. "It would take weeks, maybe even months, of research, design, and analysis. We don't have that kind of time!"

"There is one alternative."

Jiraiya felt cold. He knew where Itachi was going. "Deprive the seal of resources," the Sannin murmured. "In other words, kill Gohan."

Itachi's silence was all the confirmation that the sage needed. "Unbelievable. I can't believe I have to take a teenager this seriously."

"You can't kill him!" Naruto protested from inside his cocoon of toad stomach. "You can't! There has to be some other way!"

"If you've got one, I'd love to hear it!" Jiraiya shouted. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a Sannin and the Uchiha here is one of the foremost geniuses that has ever been produced by Konoha! And we're utterly powerless!" He glared at Gohan. "This is the only solution, Naruto!"

"But!"

"No buts!" Naruto's teacher bellowed. "You'll listen to me for once! This is the way things have to be! We have no other alternative! If we don't stop him here, there's no telling what he'll do to the town…hell, there's no telling what he'll do to the _world_ if we let him run amok!" A Rasengan flared to life in Jiraiya's palm. He shot a smoldering glare at Itachi. "Ready?"

Without so much as a word between them, the two shinobi shot at Gohan as fast as they could. Jiraiya couldn't see. He was moving too fast. If Gohan countered this, the Sannin would die. He wouldn't see the counter attack coming. From what Jiraiya understood from talking with Minato, Kakashi had had this very same problem when the scarecrow had first developed the Chidori. Itachi would have to be Jiraiya's eyes.

Jiraiya thrust blindly.

He felt the Rasengan connect. Gohan was dead. The Sannin knew it. Naruto would never forgive him for this, but it had to be done. No one had stood up to a Rasengan and lived to tell about it. Never. Just like no one saw the Hiraishin twice in one life.

The world came back.

And it was a violent shade of orange and yellow. Jiraiya blinked when he realized that it wasn't that the world was orange, it was that the Gamaguchi Shibari was filled to bursting with Shadow Clones. "What?"

The clones dispersed. They'd filled the entire hallway like sardines and there had been just as much room to spare too. What the Rasengan had hit wasn't Gohan. It was all the Naruto clones. Jiraiya rounded on his student. "What the hell was that for!?" He demanded. "You just cost us a chance!" As if to emphasize his point, Itachi flew past again, slamming into the wall for the…Jiraiya lost count of the times the two of them had smashed into the hard barrier. It was a wonder that the wall was still in one piece.

Naruto, free of his cocoon, stood panting before him, pale from the sudden exertion of chakra. "You…can't…kill him!" The blond reiterated. "I…won't…let you!"

"You won't let me!? _You?_ You're not getting it! This is Son Gohan we're talking about here! He's your age and he's gotten away from Orochimaru with only minor injuries! He's taken on Suna's Bijuu and come out on top! If his stories are true, he's taken on enemies so powerful that we can only imagine what the battle must have been like! THIS IS A LIFE OR DEATH BATTLE, NARUTO, NOT SOME GENIN TEST!"

"I KNOW!" Naruto shouted in return. "I GET IT!" His voice dropped and became so soft that Jiraiya could barely hear him. "But he's the only one…"

"Only one what?" Jiraiya asked, fuming. He wanted to do nothing but slap some sense into his student.

"He's the only one who's never looked at me with that glare."

That stole the wind out of Jiraiya's sails. "What?"

"The villagers," Naruto answered, shoulders shaking, "always looked at me like I was shit on their sandals. Even their kids did it. Everyone at the Academy, the teachers, the students, everyone. I was all alone, all because of this _thing!_" He jabbed himself in the stomach to emphasize his point. Jiraiya knew that was where Minato had put the fox. "Gohan never did that. He never looked at me like I was some monster." The blond looked up, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please, Jiraiya-sensei, don't take the one person who sees me for who I really am away."

"Your friends see you for you who are, Naruto," Jiraiya whispered.

"But I had to earn it! No one else has to earn acknowledgement like I had to! Gohan's the only one who's seen me for a real human, not for some monster or for some screw-up who's not worth their time!" He looked down at the floor again. A heavy and calloused hand on his head made him look up again.

Jiraiya had a look of understanding in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't know this meant that much to you. He's even closer to you than a brother, isn't he?"

Naruto wiped his nose on his jacket and nodded.

"I can see why," Jiraiya continued. "You've been treated like a screw up or a monster your whole life. No one wants that. No one wants to be treated like they're nothing. Gohan's the only one who's seen the real you. It's not that he's your friend or roommate. You're afraid to lose the one person who has treated you with kindness since the very beginning. You're afraid that if you lose Gohan now, you'll never find a person who will treat you that way again."

Naruto nodded again.

"Alright. I get it." Jiraiya ruffled Naruto's hair and glanced at Itachi, who was only now just beginning to climb back to his feet. "Itachi, I'm sorry, but I can't kill Gohan. It would deprive Naruto of something that he's never had before."

"I've been unconscious," Itachi answered. "What would that be?"

"Unconditional acknowledgement. Gohan's the only one who's acknowledged Naruto without Naruto having to earn it. He's the only one who's never had some sort of prior prejudice against my student here. That's one of the basic needs of any human. What right do we have to deprive Naruto of that?"

"If Gohan-kun kills us, many will lose their lives," Itachi answered. "You would sacrifice the lives of potentially thousands of people just to save this one life? That's irrational, Jiraiya-sama."

"You're right," Jiraiya replied. "but I'm not rational. I would sacrifice the world for one friend. So would Naruto, so would Gohan, and so would the Yondaime Hokage!" Jiraiya faced Gohan, who'd remained as still as a statue during the whole exchange. Jiraiya found that odd. He'd had plenty of chances to attack them while Naruto and Jiraiya were arguing. "I wonder."

"Wonder what?" Naruto asked.

"Gohan's had plenty of chances to attack us, but he hasn't. Why? Itachi!"

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama?"

"Where were you and that shark man standing when Gohan attacked the first time?"

"In this half of the hall."

"Where Gohan was?" Itachi nodded. Jiraiya grinned. "I think I might have found a way to stop him without killing him. Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Make a Shadow Clone and sent it to attack Gohan."

"What!? I'm not going to do…"

"Naruto! Just do it. The clone probably won't even get close."

"Fine. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The Naruto appeared with a pop and charged at Gohan. The Super Saiyan was standing at the other end of the hall. The hallway was about twenty to thirty yards long, the two fighting parties standing at the extreme ends. When Naruto's Shadow Clone passed the halfway mark, Gohan's sightless eyes focused in on it. Ten feet after that, Gohan exploded into motion, appearing behind the Kage Bunshin and slashing one vicious knife strike through its neck, shearing the head from the shoulders. The clone popped and Gohan resumed his motionless state, but he was watching Jiraiya, Itachi, and Naruto now.

Jiraiya grinned, triumphantly. "Thought so."

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Gohan's not in command of his body. The seal is. If Gohan were conscious, he'd see us and, if he acted anything like Sasuke does, he would attack us." Both Konoha shinobi missed Itachi mouth the words 'act like Sasuke', a puzzled look in his crimson eyes. Only seconds later, the puzzlement turned to shock, then anger.

"Orochimaru," Itachi snarled softly, keeping his voice low. "He marked Sasuke. I'll make him pay. No one messes with my little brother. No one."

Jiraiya went on, not seeing Itachi's reaction to the unintentional revelation. "The seal is in command of Gohan's body though. It can only sense people within a certain distance, about half the length of this hall, and it can only attack at a shorter distance than that."

"So as long as we stay outside the attack range, he'll only watch?" Naruto asked.

"Yep."

"But we have to attack sometime," Naruto pointed out.

"True. But now that we know that he'll only attack within a certain distance, it's easy to come up with a strategy. Itachi?"

"Yes. I will provide the distraction while Jiraiya-sama applies a preventative measure."

Jiraiya grinned. "You make it sound so easy. We're gonna need you too, Naruto."

"Me? Why?"

"You're the one man army. You can be either one or one thousand. We're going to need numbers as a distraction until I can do something about the Cursed Seal. Itachi will go with you."

At this, Naruto's eyes flashed. "You expect me to work together with him!?" Naruto bellowed at the top of his considerable lungs. "He tried to kill me!"

"We don't really have a choice now. If you want to save Gohan, you'll do this. Otherwise we go back to Plan A."

Naruto gulped and shot a glare at Itachi, who gave him an acknowledging nod. "Fine," he grumped sullenly. The blond cracked his neck. "Guess I'd better get going then."

"It would be good," Jiraiya agreed.

Naruto's fingers formed a cross. "Taiju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The entire end of the hall filled with Shadow Clones. Each of them pulled out two kunai, one for each hand, then the clones exploded into motion. Jiraiya blinked when he realized that the Kage Bunshin were using the yielding and springy surface of the stomach that lined the halls as a trampoline. Soon the air was filled with orange and blond pinballs. Itachi was among them, a blank and red wraith in a riot of color.

Jiraiya pulled out a notebook and not the one he kept observation for Icha Icha on. This one was a log he'd begun keeping after he'd learned Orochimaru was beyond help. It was a log of everything that Jiraiya knew about the Snake Sannin. Among those observations was information on the Curse Seal. It was secondhand information and the accuracy was most certainly questionable, but it was observations from Kakashi and that man rarely missed a step.

The Sannin ducked as a Naruto flew over his head and smashed into the wall, popping like an overfilled balloon. His eyes were dark blurs as he skimmed his notes. After he finished, he began to go over what he knew of the Fuuja Houin and its complexities. Those two pieces of information in hand, Jiraiya scrawled out the rough outline of a seal on the seal paper he kept in an inner pocket of his gi.

The formula was rough and there was a high probability that it would fail the second it was applied, but it was better than nothing. Naruto's head slammed into Jiraiya's foot. The sage looked down and saw the blond was wincing in pain.

"Hurts doesn't it?"

"Ouch," Naruto answered.

Itachi was the only one left engaging Gohan. The two were nothing but blurs, even to Jiraiya's experienced eyes. Of the blurs he could see, it didn't look like the Uchiha was holding his own. Jiraiya shook his head. Gohan was frightening, he really was. If this was what he would be like if and when that second seal of his was released, Orochimaru would do well to run for the hills.

Jiraiya tore off the seal paper and took a deep breath. "Naruto, have the energy for one more?"

Naruto was on his feet in a blink. "Who do you think you're talking too, Ero-sennin!? Of course I've got the energy."

The pervert chuckled. "No doubt there, I guess. Alright do it. I have to get close enough to use this." He held up the paper with the seal on it. The squiggly designs looked oddly like the Fuuja Houin, but at the same time, there was a secondary seal inside the small circle of the main seal.

"Here we go! Taiju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The hall was again filled with bouncing orange blurs. This time, Jiraiya was among them, using the same method to try and mix in with the clones. Gohan was a blur of motion. Smoke was filling the air around him as his fist and feet flashed here and there, catching Narutos and Itachi in the gut, head, chin, chest, and thighs. Itachi was flung clear many times, but the Uchiha was always in the fray again only seconds after getting thrown away. Narutos were popping left right and center, but Jiraiya just kept slipping from the shadow of one clone to the next, waiting for his opportunity.

It came by freak coincidence, as often happened in battle. Two Naruto clones went for Gohan's feet while Itachi came in from Gohan's good side. The two clones were destroyed in seconds, but Itachi managed to hold on for a second or two. He was flung clear as well, but it was enough. Jiraiya dropped down behind Gohan, appearing out of the shadow of one of the Kage Bunshin.

Gohan spun and elbowed the Sannin in the jaw. Stars exploded in the Sannin's face as he felt his jaw break. At least he thought it broke. Maybe it was only dislocated. It still hurt like a son of a bitch though. A yelp of pain came from Naruto and the blond genin slammed into Jiraiya's chest, the two of them smashing to the ground in a heap.

All three were on their feet in seconds, ready for the saiyan boy to rush them, but he was frozen stock-still. He held as still as marble for a few seconds, then the boy's limbs began to shake and quake, like he was having a seizure. The raindrops of the Curse Seal turned white and began to crackle like electricity as Gohan's face twisted in mute surprise. His sightless white eyes were wide and his mouth was open in a silent scream, white arcs of jagged, electric-like energy flashing over the dark mars on his skin.

Jiraiya's seal paper was firmly fixed over Gohan's seal on his neck. Light began to build up, slowly, like a volcano rumbling just before it blew. The kanji for the number two appeared on his chest, the new seal pulsing angrily, like a heartbeat. It beat faster and faster before it gave a thump that was like thunder without sound, an impact with no noise, and a white shockwave blew everyone off their feet. The Gamaguchi Shibari was blown apart, along with the top floor of the hotel the trio was staying in. Thankfully, Jiraiya had had the presence of mind to use the jutsu to move everyone to the lower floors with the technique before the fight had gotten going in earnest.

Thick concealing dust filled the air along with raining wood chips and splinters and a shingle or three. When the dust cleared, Gohan, devoid of any Curse Seal markings, lay on the shattered floor of the ruined hall. A pile of debris moved and shifted. Jiraiya sat up with a groan, rubbing his forehead. He'd been clocked in the head by a doorknob that had been blown free. It had hit hard enough to knock his hirai-ate off. He found the protective piece of metal on the floor beside him. He tied it to its place and stood. The top of the motel looked like a bomb had gone off. There was nothing but a pile of shattered timber and saw dust left of what had been the top floor of a building only a few seconds ago.

Naruto sat up with a groan. He was scratched and battered, just like Jiraiya was, but he had blood in his blond hair, probably from a grazing blow from a splinter or something similar. The teen touched his bloody hair, blinked bewilderedly at his crimson fingers then wobbled upright. He groaned then looked around once, then again, more alertly.

"Hey! Where's Itachi!?"

"Gone," Jiraiya answered, standing up and brushing himself off. He gestured to where Kisame should have been laying, still unconscious. "And he took his partner with him."

"Do you think they'll come back?"

"Probably, but not for a while, maybe even a few years. They'll go lick their wounds, report to this Leader that the shark was blathering about, then come back when they have a surefire plan to beat me and Gohan."

"They want the fox," Naruto muttered, one hand clenching over his stomach.

"They won't get it," Jiraiya said firmly. "I won't let them. And you won't either, right?"

"You better believe it!" Naruto crowed. "If they show their cloaked asses again, I'll beat them all the way to Suna and back!"

"Suna?" Jiraiya laughed. "You gonna get that raccoon kid to help out too?"

"Gaara? Sure why not!"

The two of them laughed and laughed. It was laughter of relief. They were alive, the Kyuubi hadn't fallen into the wrong hands, and the Akatsuki were gone. Yes, the day was looking quite bright indeed.

* * *

Gohan stirred and opened his eyes. He sat up and hissed in pain as his neck seared. He yelped and clapped a hand to the black seal on his neck. It was burning beneath his fingers, pulsing angrily, like a thumb that had been smashed. Each pulse sent a jolt of pain through Gohan and made his head throb. He felt nauseous.

The memories of Tsukuyomi came flooding back to him and his stomach lurched. Gohan rolled over onto his front and promptly emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor. When he'd finished, he didn't move. He wasn't reliving Tsukuyomi anymore, but he was reliving that fateful day, that day his father died.

He'd thought he'd buried the feelings. He thought he had gotten over Goku's death. Gohan thought he had finally moved on.

Tsukuyomi had brought back all of Gohan's guilty feelings which now seemed a thousand times worse after just reliving the incident. Tears, unbidden, but hot on his cheeks, fell from his eyes, dripping onto the floor. "Dad," Gohan whispered, good hand curling into a fist, pushing depressions into the floor. "Dad, I'm so sorry."

The grief passed, but Gohan remained jumpy, expecting to see Itachi jump from a shadow. The Uchiha had been right. The one thing that Gohan feared more than any other was the loss of his friends. The crushing blow to his psyche had been more than a physical defeat to the young man. It had been an eye-opener. Gohan now knew that there were people here, in this world, that were more powerful than he. Orochimaru was powerful, but Gohan felt that he could match the snake if only he had his second level back. Itachi was beyond that, if not in power, then certainly in intellect.

He wasn't invincible.

He wasn't a great warrior.

Gohan had felt that way here. He'd felt on top of the world. He'd felt like there were few who could challenge him, much less actually surpass him. How wrong he'd been. He'd been shown who he really was again, shown, in a brutal manner, what he'd known ever since Goku had died protecting the world from Cell. He was just an arrogant little kid, pretending to be a powerful warrior. Gohan had never managed to save anyone.

Piccolo had been killed by Nappa, all those years ago, all because Gohan had frozen. That might not have even happened had Gohan not been so scared in the first place. Piccolo had put together a plan that might have defeated the bald saiyan, but Gohan had been so paralyzed by fear that he hadn't followed through with his part of that plan.

Later, on Namek, Krillin and Gohan had both been beaten to the point of death multiple times by the Ginyu Force, that pink guy with the spiky head, the pretty boy who turned into a monster, and then by Frieza himself. It was during one of those battles that Krillin had been impaled. Maybe if Gohan hadn't been so slow on the uptake, he could've prevented it somehow.

Then there was this most recent time. Cell. The Cell Games. Gohan had had Cell on the ropes. The android had been powerless to stop the enraged demi-saiyan has he'd blitzed the mechanical menace with blows and ki attacks that, at one point, had left only half an android in the sky. Then Gohan had gotten arrogant and, no matter how many times his friends told him that it wasn't his fault, Goku had been forced to die a vain death in an attempt to stop Cell. It had failed and only a single one hundred and ten percent effort by Gohan had saved them.

Bojack had been much of the same. Gohan had been so afraid to tap his latent power that it had taken Goku breaking the laws of Other World to save him. It was only with his father's encouragement that had given Gohan the confidence to give in and utterly destroy the menace.

Orochimaru. He hadn't been able to stand up to the monster. All he'd been able to do was delay the Sannin, slow him down, prevent him from pursuing Sakura and killing her and in the end, Gohan himself had been marked by the snake's Cursed Seal of Heaven. He'd been powerless against Haku. Outclassed by the quiet boy's speed, Gohan had attempted transformation and, in the end, he'd been saved by Sasuke and Naruto and that had almost cost the two boys their lives.

Now with Itachi, Gohan had been destroyed, utterly defeated, in three seconds, just by looking the Uchiha in the eye. How was he supposed to beat that? Even if he couldn't react to Gohan's speed, Itachi's Sharingan allowed him to see Gohan, no matter how fast the saiyan was moving. He could try to avoid Itachi's gaze all he wanted, but the risk was too high. Eventually, Gohan would look Itachi in the eye and it would be over again. He didn't even know how he and Naruto had gotten out of this most recent predicament, but he had a feeling that Naruto's unpredictability and Jiraiya's power had had something to do with it.

"Damn, Gohan swore softly. He was just a failure, a failure that had ridden the coattails of luck and more powerful and skilled men. The teen rose to his knees and looked at his quaking fist and body. They were useless to him. Useless. He didn't have his father's determination and skill. He didn't have Piccolo's shrewd mind. He didn't have Vegeta's arrogance that allowed the Prince of Saiyans to never accept defeat. He didn't have Jiraiya's power nor did he have Sasuke's natural talent. He didn't have Naruto's unpredictability.

What did he have? Nothing, that's what. Just power that he had only the faintest of ideas of how to control and half of it was locked away from him now. He didn't even have complete control of his body. All of it came down to Gohan's inadequacy as warrior. He was only going to be a detriment to Naruto and Jiraiya in their search for Tsunade. He should just go back to Konoha and go through with his rehab. Maybe he could get to the point where he could protect his friends, all the time, every time.

Yeah, that sounded good. He would go back to Konoha and train. Train until his body turned to dust. Only then would he go with his friends, when he could protect them all without fail. He stood, head throbbing, and stumbled before regaining his balance and fighting the throbbing in his head. Gohan had to find Jiraiya so he could let him know where he was going.

When he emerged from the hotel, Gohan was surprised to find that he wasn't in the same tow that he remembered. Instead of a box canyon, the town they were in abutted a rock escarpment with stairs leading up to the rim. Rising above the lip of rock were the leafy boughs of trees. The town itself was larger than the last one, having more space to spread out. Gohan stumbled limply through town, taking in everything, but processing nothing. He saw more than one person look at him funnily because, even if he didn't see it, Gohan's eyes were dark and haunted from the memories that he'd been reliving before waking up and delved deeper into just after waking. He bumped into a man in a white suit and fell onto his rear. The man turned around, a cigar in his mouth, which was curled down into a frown. Gohan didn't miss the tanto poking out sideways across the man's bandaged stomach.

'Gangster' Gohan thought numbly.

"Watch where you're going brat!" The man bellowed, shoving Gohan as he stood upright again. Gohan tumbled to the ground again. When he stood, he knew that he should've been angry for being shoved around like that, but for some reason, Gohan felt nothing. He felt numb, actually, like a flame that wasn't anything more than spent embers. It had the potential to be powerful, but it just didn't have the fuel, or in this case, will, to flame up and devour what angered it. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" He made to shove Gohan again and this time Gohan's limbs responded, independent of his will.

His arm snapped up, whipped around in a counterclockwise circle, knocking the incoming blow over his shoulder while his foot swept in and took out the gangster's leg that bore all his weight. The man went down before he knew what hit him.

Gohan started walking away even before the hapless man had hit the ground.

The man picked himself back up, red-faced, baring and gnashing his teeth as he pulled the knife from its place at his stomach. With a yell, he threw the knife at Gohan's retreating back. It spun end over end, the sun glinting off the wavy line that marked the edge of the weapon. The target boy spun, inhumanly fast, when the blade was scant inches from him. He caught the knife effortlessly between index and middle fingers. The gangster's jaw dropped. With a deft flick, and nary a glance at his assailant, Gohan flung the knife at the man's feet, where it burrowed into the ground, vanishing with a small thud and a tremor.

The man's face blanched and the cigar tumbled from a slack jaw. He glanced from the hole that marked the blade's entry into the earth to Gohan, whose back had already vanished into the crush of the crowd.

* * *

Well, there we are. Hope the fight was good. I wasn't quite satisfied with it, but I figured it was better to go with it than keep tinkering with it and potentially make it worse. Besides, I was going more towards getting inside Naruto's head when faced with the potential loss of a person who's the only person to acknowledge Naruto as a person, not a demon or a screw up, from the very beginning. I also wanted to get in Gohan's head after he wakes up from Tsukuyomi. Don't forget that Gohan blames himself for his father's death, which is most certainly a traumatic thought, and he's also been tortured for what amounts to three days, and has had the fact that he failed to protect both Naruto and his dad thrown in his face. That would destroy the confidence of anyone, I would think. Don't worry though, he won't be emo for very long...at least I don't think it will be very long. So that's that. Until next time!

P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody!


	28. Partings

Disclaimer: Standard I own nothing

* * *

"No no no!" Naruto growled, sinking to his knees as the ball he held resumed its shape. Naruto had been trying for the better part of this week to burst the ball, having succeeded with the balloon earlier but the ball, a solid object as opposed to the hollow, water-filled balloon, was proving a much more difficult challenge. Naruto's chakra lacked the power to force the solid matter to rend itself asunder and still keep the energies inside flowing in a chaotic spiral. "Dammit! I still can't do it!"

He massaged his aching arms. They hurt like hell, like every bone in them had been broken, healed, then broken again. His hands shook from the exertion, trembling, his flesh feeling like it was simultaneously being pricked with needles and walked on by ants. Any medic shinobi would tell the blond that he was overworking his inner coils, the network of pathways that were the chakra version of veins. They worked in the same manner, conveying chakra from the source to all the muscles, bones, and internal organs of the body. The tingling and pain that the blond was feeling right then was his tenketsu, or the opening points through which chakra exited the body, being strained. The inner coil's pathways were of a 'fixed' diameter, like a firehose. The amount of chakra flowing through them was not. Normally, this wasn't a problem, since the jutsu being performed was the required outlet, like the nozzle of hose, but Naruto wasn't doing a jutsu now, he was simply forcing a tremendous amount of chakra from his body into the ball, which was akin to putting a rock in the way of the nozzle. The chakra had little room to maneuver and was backing up, straining the tenketsu and the inner coil system as a whole.

Naruto didn't remember this pain when he was learning to walk up and down trees and on water, but Jiraiya explained it to him.

"All living things have chakra," the Sannin had said, the day before, when he'd been watching his pupil and the blond had complained about the pain. Jiraiya had explained the concept of the ball 'blocking' the chakra to him and Naruto had asked why it didn't hurt when he walked on trees and water, which was also forcing chakra from the body into an obstruction. "Trees and plants are inanimate objects, but they still live, and therefore, still have chakra. Your chakra runs from your feet and into the tree then links with the tree's chakra and holds you to it, like a magnet would attract iron filings."

The pervert bent, picked up a stick, and poked a series of dots in the ground. One drawing was a square of tightly compacted dots and the other was a looser box. A third box joined the first two, but this one had next to no dots in it, only enough to show that it indeed was a box. "Solid, liquid, and gas," Jiraiya explained, pointing to each one with his stick. "Each one has a different resistance to chakra, like a wire has little resistance to electricity but rubber almost blocks it entirely. The reason your chakra doesn't back up and cause you pain when you're walking on trees is because of the magnet-like attraction between the two. Water is different. Chakra can easily flow through it and manipulate it. When you walk on water, you draw molecules of water together, bringing more into one place and increase the surface tension to the point where it can bear human weight.

"However, the water molecules don't have chakra and shift around a lot. It's like trying to keep oiled balls in a shape. They'll always shift around and slide from the structure you're making with them. That's why you must constantly adjust your chakra flow in response to the ebb and flow of the water and the water molecules you've gathered under your feet.

"Air is even easier to move chakra through, since the resistance of the air against the chakra is negligible. A solid, though, very hard to punch chakra through, since the space between molecules is very very small, meaning that the chakra has much less room to move." Jiraiya took a breath, finally stopping his lecture. "Get it?"

"Kinda, but how can we cling to rocks and things if they're not alive?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya looked surprised.

"So you can ask an intelligent question."

"Hey!"

The Sannin laughed. "Well, that's one of the big mysteries of the shinobi world. No one's sure how we can walk on sheer cliff faces and rocks with no hand holds or climbing gear, but there is one theory. It says that when we walk on boulders and cliffs, we're not actually using our chakra like a magnet, like we do with a tree, but we're actually making a sort of climbing gear out of chakra, which allows us to climb rocks and things, like how a fly or an ant sticks to a wall. I don't know about any of that and I don't care. I just know it works and that's all good for me."

Naruto snapped out of his reminiscing at the sound of a bush rustling. Jiraiya, who was again watching Naruto in between his visits to the brothel in town, glanced over his shoulder, eyes sharp, as the rustling got worse. The sharpness left when Gohan stumbled out of the trees.

"Gohan!" Naruto crowed, dropping the white rubber ball in his hand, Rasengan training forgotten as he dashed over to one of the people he considered a brother. "You're awake! It's about time you woke up! You've been out for almost two weeks and I was starting to think that that Uchiha bastard had killed you and…" Naruto trailed off, suddenly noticing Gohan's haggard look. His face was pale and his eyes were clouded and downcast, staring at the grass in front of Naruto's feet. There was no confidence in the way he carried himself and his good arm hung slack. "Gohan? You alright?"

"Of course he's not alright," Jiraiya said, seizing Gohan's shoulder and guiding him to a stump where the boy slumped onto the wood without a change in expression. "He was tortured by Uchiha Itachi and the Mangenkyou Sharingan. There's no one in the world who would be alright after that."

"Why not?" Naruto asked. "It was just one ass-kicking. It's nothing to make a big deal out of. I get my butt kicked every other day."

Neither shinobi noticed Gohan flinch at the mention of his defeat at the hands of the elder Uchiha brother.

"It's a different story for someone like me or Gohan," Jiraiya answered. "We're not used to losing. Every defeat for us is like a personal failure and…"

"_Stop it!_" Gohan's sharp voice interrupted. Both shinobi fell silent and looked at the boy with surprise. "Please. I don't want to talk about it."

"But you did come out here to talk about something, right?" Jiraiya prodded. Gohan nodded mutely. "Alright then. Out with it."

Gohan heaved a sigh and looked Jiraiya in the eye. "I want to go back to Konoha. If I keep going with you, I'll just bring you down. You'll do better without me."

There was stunned silence for all of two seconds then Naruto erupted. "WHAT!?"

* * *

While Jiraiya and Naruto tried to process what the other person in their group had said to them, in an entirely different dimension, Bulma was hard at work on her portal machine, trying to repair the mechanism so they could reach across and bring Gohan back from the world he currently found himself trapped in. The genius sat back from podium that had been the control panel for the first version of the gate. She'd finally been able to reconstruct the controls and power supply for the machine and it had only taken her two and a half, maybe three, months. Her progress was good. It had taken her twice the time before when she'd first built the damn thing.

She wiped her forehead with a sigh and a smile. Now she had to get the main part of the machine back on track. That would be a more difficult task than she'd originally imagined because now she had to pull Gohan back, which wouldn't be easy in any case, and there was a huge possibility that Vegeta or Piccolo would have to cross over to guide the kid back. It was entirely possible that Gohan wouldn't even be aware that the portal was open again until he felt the ki of one of the two warriors in a place where it shouldn't be. Bulma had no way of knowing that the generator made a very obvious hole the in the sky when it tore the fabric between dimensions.

"Hey! No slacking!"

Bulma ducked a vicious swing from the Frying Pan of Death.

"You're not quitting until my baby boy is back in my arms!" Chichi growled, brandishing the pan, a content Goten asleep on her shoulder. "Now get back to work!"

"But Chichi…" Bulma started.

"No buts!"

Another swing and a miss, but only because Bulma had thrown herself flat on the ground as soon as she'd noticed the throbbing vein in other woman's forehead. "She's gonna get premature wrinkles if she keeps this up," Bulma muttered, turning back to the console and quadruple-checking every connection, every solder, every circuit in the guts of the thing, making extra-sure that the mistake she'd made those weeks ago that had started this whole fiasco wouldn't be repeated.

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing nothing!" Bulma answered in a rush, burying her nose in the guts of the portal and hoping beyond hope that Chichi wouldn't swing for the hell of it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Orochimaru sat in his lair in Rice Country, brooding. He was replaying his battle with Jiraiya and Sarutobi. He ground his teeth in anger, one hand convulsing on the snow-white bandages that wrapped his chest. Those two bastards had ruined everything for him. If it hadn't been for Jiraiya's interruption, Orochimaru would've killed the Sandaime and the Leaf would've been crippled. Instead, from what the Snake Sannin's spies were telling him, Sarutobi had announced his resignation as Hokage and had sent Jiraiya to retrieve Tsunade.

Orochimaru snorted in derision. Tsunade as the Godaime? Tsunade? Gambling, coarse, cowardly, renegade Tsunade as a leader of one of the great shinobi villages? The very idea was laughable as it was impractical. Tsunade had, for all intents and purposes, gone to ground as thoroughly as a shinobi could. Finding her would be like trying to find a needle in several countries' worth of haystacks.

Of course, to be fair, if Jiraiya was able to find and convince his former teammate to return to the one location she hated more than the Hero's Stone, which was _in _Konoha to start with, the big-breasted healer would be quite the formidable adversary, both politically and physically.

Pain wracked Orochimaru, doubling the leader of the Sound over in his simple stone throne. He tried to clutch at his chest, but his arms only twitched and convulsed feebly on the armrests. He began to cough violently, soon bringing up blood and splattering the roughly hewn stone at his feet. Kabuto was in the room in mere seconds. The medic passed green-glowing hands over the wound in Orochimaru's chest.

"It's happening again," Kabuto said. Not a question.

"Of course it is," Orochimaru snarled, not exactly in the best of moods. "The time limit is fast approaching. I'll have to switch bodies in another month at best." The seizure-like quivering in the Sannin's borrowed body passed, allowing the pale man to sit up straight. The coughing continued and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

"Your lung isn't helping either," Kabuto added, probably taking his life into his hands with that remark, but knowing all the same that Orochimaru wouldn't kill him, not at this point in time. Without Kabuto, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to prolong his tenure in his current host and would probably be forced to switch all the sooner and they both knew it. "You insisted I close the wounds the second we left Konoha. Even with my skill, there was no small amount of scarring, both internally and externally."

"A necessary precaution to facilitate our escape," Orochimaru snarled back, the coughing fit finally passing.

"All the same, your right lung has lost nearly half of its capacity. Given that and your…issues with your current host, you won't be able to last more than a month in this body and neither Gohan-kun nor Sasuke-kun are ready to be your hosts."

"Who then?" Orochimaru demanded angrily, killing intent rolling off him like breaking waves at a beach. Kabuto managed to keep from showing weakness in the presence of that overwhelming bloodlust. Anything less would invite certain peril. "Kimimaro? The boy's only living because of your medicinal skills, Kabuto!"

"Yes, but perhaps there is another way," The medic muttered.

"What? You can restore Kimimaro to his previous vitality."

"Impossible," Kabuto chuckled. "That kid is too far gone for even someone of Tsunade-sama's caliber to heal. He has two years left in him at most, less if he were to leave his bed. If he does that, he'll last maybe a week if he's lucky. I was thinking it would probably be a prudent time to take a more…overt role in Sasuke-kun's development into your host."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we could bring Sasuke-kun to us and mold him into what you need."

"And Gohan-kun?"

"Not now," Kabuto answered promptly. "The boy is loyal to Konoha, almost as blindly fanatical as the Konoha-nin themselves. His heart is pure, devoid of any lasting dark emotions that the seal could make blossom. The Curse Seal won't be able to corrode him for a very long time. Sasuke-kun, however, is consumed with the desire to kill his brother and take revenge for his clan. Much easier to coerce."

Orochimaru sat back, rubbing his chin. "Very well. I shall take a new host in one month and we will bring Sasuke-kun to us and begin his training. Sakon!"

The silver-haired shinobi was in the room in seconds. "What is thy bidding, my Master?" he asked with a grin. Kabuto punched the teen in the jaw, flinging him to the floor.

"You will show respect, Sakon-kun," Kabuto said, glasses glinting dangerously.

"Now now," Orochimaru chided, chuckling, chin propped lazily on one hand. "Let Sakon have his little joke. Sakon, I have a mission for you."

"I live to serve, Orochimaru-sama," Sakon intoned, resuming his submissive kneeling.

"Go to Konoha," Orochimaru said bluntly. "Retrieve Sasuke-kun for me. I wish to make him my next host."

The effeminate boy nodded once then vanished with a whisper of rubber on stone.

"Do you think they'll be able to do it?" Kabuto asked as Orochimaru stood and rolled his neck, trying in vain to massage out the stiffness that was beginning to pervade his entire body, another sign that it was fast becoming time to switch hosts.

"Yes. The Sound Four are more powerful than many jounin that are twice their age. They will accomplish this task or suffer my…displeasure." Kabuto smirked at his lord's answer. Abruptly, the air flickered and distorted, like a TV with bad static, then settled out again. When it cleared, Uchiha Itachi stood in the entrance to the throne room. Orochimaru's gold eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the stoic missing-nin standing so casually in his lair, but made no move to attack the intruder, seeing the windmill-shaped markings in Itachi's crimson eyes and the bloodshot sclera, all hallmarks of the infamous Mangenkyou Sharingan.

Kabuto lunged at the Akatsuki.

Orochimaru didn't even have time to yell at his subordinate to stop before Itachi's eyes were on Kabuto. "Amaterasu," the Uchiha snarled, voice thick with wrath. Black flames roared out of Kabuto's chest. The medic-nin screamed in pain and horror, swatting futilely at his chest, but to no avail. The eternal black flames just latched onto his arms and began to burn him up all the quicker. In seconds it was over and the only thing remaining of Yakushi Kabuto was a small pile of ash adorned with flickering black tongues of flame.

Orochimaru frowned as Itachi glared at him.

"Uchiha Itachi," he said silkily, cordial but there was no mistaking the venom in the undertones. After all, Itachi had humiliated Orochimaru when the Sannin had been affiliated with Akatsuki after a failed attempt by the pale shinobi to take the Sharingan by occupying Itachi's body. "To what do I owe this honor? If you are here for my ring, it's right over there." He gestured to the withered hand that bore the ring in question. The hand had been severed by Itachi himself as punishment for trying to steal the Sharingan.

"I'm not here for the ring," Itachi whispered. It was even more menacing than if he'd shouted. The former ANBU's killing intent was sweeping the room like a low-riding fog, barely on the edge of perception, but impossible to ignore. "I'm here for you, Orochimaru."

"Me?" Orochimaru asked, feigning surprise. "Whatever for? I've done nothing to incur the wrath of Pain and Akatsuki. I've kept my nose clear of the organization's business since I left it." Amber eyes scanned the room, as though only now noticing Kisame's absence. "Where is Kisame-san? He is your partner is he not? Or has the organization changed its methods of operation since I left?"

"Shut up."

The simple command made Orochimaru's next question stall on his lips and die away. With it went Orochimaru's falsely cordial mask. "I'm not here on Akatsuki business," Itachi went on. "I'm here to deliver a warning."

"What warning?"

"Stay away from Sasuke," the Akatsuki said flatly as the killing intent doubled. Orochimaru, in his weakened state, felt himself break out into a cold sweat. "I have heard you have marked him with one of those ridiculous seals of yours. Touch one more hair on Sasuke's head and I will kill you. The Sharingan is not destined for your hands and I will not let anyone not of Uchiha blood possess it." Itachi pointed at Orochimaru. "Should I find you've ignored this warning, I will make Tsukuyomi be something for you to beg for."

A kunai flew from Orochimaru's robes into his hand, leaving the hand only a half-second later. It struck Itachi in his center of mass, knocking him off his feet. Itachi fell back, as if in slow motion, slate bangs flowing in the wind, then he stopped abruptly, hanging in the air without any visible means of suspension.

The renegade Uchiha's body burst apart into a flock of crows that flapped around the room, cawing and shrieking, scattering feathers before vanishing into thin air. Orochimaru's lips twisted into a snarl. "I see Itachi's skill with genjutsu hasn't deteriorated," he growled. "You can come out, Kabuto."

A hidden panel in the wall opened up, revealing the medic-nin unharmed. "So that is Uchiha Itachi," Kabuto said lightly. "Terrifying isn't he?"

"We leave immidiatly," Orochimaru said. "If Itachi knows about this base, then it's a sure bet that the rest of Akatsuki know too. Go get Gen'yumaru. I'm doing the switch now. When that is done, gather everything of value that we can send via a jutsu or carry ourselves and send it to the next base. When that is done, return to me. We have a small task to do."

"What would that be, if you don't mind me asking?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru's lips curled into a sadistic smirk. "We are going to make Uchiha Itachi fail."

"How?"

"We are going to make him fail at the task he has been given by Pain." Orochimaru's gold eyes found Kabuto's dark ones. "We are going to kill Uzumaki Naruto."

"That would bring down the retribution of Akatsuki on our heads."

"Certainly, but it should also kill Itachi as well. Pain is not tolerant of failure. His reasoning will be that Itachi should've stepped in to protect the fox, because without it, Akatsuki cannot succeed in their plan. We kill Naruto, remove Akatsuki as a threat for the time being, and kill Itachi without lifting a finger."

"As good a plan as any, I suppose," Kabuto admitted, leaving the throne room, privately thinking that Orochimaru was consigning them all to a slow and grisly death.

Less than four hours later, Kabuto and Orochimaru stood outside their abandoned base. The Sannin made a fast series of hand signs and the ground rumbled then went silent for a second. The entrance to the underground complex belched a huge plume of searing flame and choking smoke. When it faded, the ground rumbled again as the ruined base fell in on itself.

"Let's go."

"Where?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru flexed his fingers, relishing the vibrancy that always suffused him after transferring to a new host. "To find another of my old teammates."

"Tsunade-sama?" Kabuto asked, the awe evident in his voice. As a medic he, like everyone else who called himself or herself a medic, nurse, or doctor, revered the legendary Sannin, holding her on a pedestal that was close godhood.

"Yes. That old fart Sandaime is stepping down as Hokage and has named Tsunade as his successor. To that end, he's dispatched Jiraiya and Naruto-kun to find her. If we can get to Tsunade before Jiraiya does, we can set a trap and remove Uzumaki Naruto from this world."

"And do we know where Tsunade is?"

Orochimaru laughed outright. "As a matter of fact, we do."

Both shinobi vanished into the trees.

* * *

Gohan fell down, hard. His cheek was already sporting a rather impressive red mark that was sure to turn black and blue and swell up in the next few minutes.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya said sharply, trying to warn off his student, but his command fell on deaf ears.

"What the hell do you mean you want to go back to Konoha!?" Naruto demanded, grabbing his roommate by the front and hoisting him clean off the ground, displaying a surprising amount of strength for someone who was so small. "Huh?"

Gohan made no move to dislodge the irate genin, instead averting his gaze. "I'll just slow you down."

"What because of your arm?" Naruto let Gohan drop, the other boy collapsing into an unceremonious heap on the ground. He stood gingerly and dusted himself off, still refusing to meet Naruto's, or Jiraiya's for that matter, gaze. "That's a bullshit excuse and you know it!"

"It's not that."

"Yeah?" Naruto sneered, "then what is it? Tell me!"

"I'll just slow you down, Naruto," Gohan repeated.

"And I still don't get it!" the blond raised his fist to belt the other teen one again, but Jiraiya's powerful grip stopped it. Naruto glared up at his master, who shook his head slowly before letting go. "How are you slowing me down? Do you know the number of times you've saved our asses?"

"I got lucky. I'm no good, Naruto. I can't protect anyone. Not you, not Sakura, not any of my friends back home, not anyone."

"Are you kidding? What the hell do you mean you can't protect us? What about Zabuza…"

"He wasn't expecting it," Gohan muttered.

"The snake bastard!"

"I couldn't stop him. I just got lucky with the transformation."

"Gaara!"

"If Piccolo-sensei hadn't shown me the Makankosappo."

Naruto pulled at his hair, snarling incoherently, before sprinting over and smashing his fist into Gohan's other cheek, again throwing the other teen into the dirt. "What the hell, Gohan! Why the hell are you making all these lame ass excuses? Huh? Tell me! You're one of the most badass people I know and you're acting like a big wuss!" He hauled Gohan to his feet again, not knowing if he should keep pummeling Gohan or not. "What happened to the powerful guy I used to know?!"

"He never existed!" Gohan shouted back, shoving Naruto away, getting angry for the first time since he'd woken up. "I was never a badass or a powerful fighter or anything like that! I'm just some little arrogant bastard who keeps scraping through his fights by luck and more powerful friends! I can't compare to my Dad, Vegeta, Sasuke, Sakura, the Sandaime, Piccolo, Jiraiya or you!" Naruto blinked at that. Gohan didn't think he could compare to Naruto? How the hell did he get that into his head, Naruto wondered? It was really the other way around. No matter how strong Naruto felt himself getting, Gohan always seemed to be so far ahead of him, in a class that Naruto never thought he would be able to reach as long as he lived. "I'm not some great warrior," Gohan went on, tears in his eyes now. "Whenever I try, I always fail and the people around me pay the price! I can't protect anyone!"

A ringing silence followed that pronouncement and Naruto finally felt the realization dawn in him that Gohan was beyond his ability to help. "F-fine!" Naruto shouted back, voice cracking with sorrow for his friend. He turned his back on Gohan. "If you're going to be like that, then go away! I don't want to see your sorry ass again! Leave for all I care!"

There was silence then Gohan's voice, once again subdued and timid, reached Naruto's ears. "Right. I'll see you later, Naruto. I'll be waiting for you when you get back to Konoha." Naruto heard the scuff of shoe on dirt as Gohan turned to leave.

"Wait!" Naruto called over his shoulder, staring at the dirt off to his left.

"What?"

"When you get back, move all your crap out of my apartment. I'm not going to put up with your emo shit all the time."

"Alright."

Gohan's footsteps started again and faded fast. When silence reigned again, Naruto's eyes burned suddenly and he wiped furiously, feeling the tears streak down his face.

"Are you going to just let him go?" Jiraiya asked, slightly surprised by Naruto's willingness just turn his back on Gohan. "I thought he was like a brother to you."

Naruto didn't answer right away, instead picking up the white rubber ball he'd been trying to pop. He began focusing his chakra into it, the pain in his arms flaring up anew, but the blond stubbornly ignored it and pressed ahead, trying to put even the smallest hole in the sphere. The surface of the ball bubbled and rippled wildly, but after a second or two, it resumed its normal shape. "I thought so too, Ero-sennin." Naruto was silent for a second then looked Jiraiya in the eye. "What's wrong with him?"

"His confidence has been crushed," Jiraiya answered solemnly. "You can see it in the way he carries himself."

"I don't get it," Naruto snarled, running a hand through his spiky blond hair. "He got his ass kicked once. So what? That's not any excuse!"

"It's not," Jiraiya agreed, "and I don't know how it happened. Maybe you should tell me. I wasn't there when Itachi knocked him out, after all."

"I don't know. Itachi had him up against the wall, said something to him, and the next thing I know, Gohan's screaming his head off like he was on fire or something. Itachi said it was Tsuku-something."

"Tsukuyomi?"

"That's it."

Jiraiya scratched at the base of his ponytail. "So that's what it was, huh? Now it makes sense. I gathered it was the Mangenkyou from the first time you told me, but I didn't know it was Tsukuyomi."

"What is this Tsuku-something anyway?" Naruto asked. "Itachi said it was for torture, but I don't get how it works."

"It's a genjutsu," Jiraiya answered. "A powerful one at that, one that's inescapable. You see, there's more to the Sharingan that just what you see Kakashi or Sasuke using, much more."

"There's more that thing can do? Doesn't it have enough power already?"

"It does," the sage agreed, "but supposedly there's another form to it. Well," he amended, "I shouldn't say supposedly since I've seen the techniques that it's supposed to be able to use. There's another level to the Sharingan, one that I thought was just a rumor until we ran into those Akatsuki. It's called the Mangenkyou Sharingan and it's got some powers that are pretty scary."

"Like what?"

"Well, the rumors are saying that there are three techniques, Amaterasu, which conjures black flames that will burn anywhere and anything and cannot be put out by even the user. Second is Susanoo. I don't know anything about that one, aside from that it's supposedly for defense. Third is Tsukuyomi. It's a genjutsu, but not an ordinary one. Like I said, it's inescapable. It's the only genjutsu I know of capable of causing physical harm."

"How can an illusion cause physical harm?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know how it does it, but I would imagine that it puts the victim under so much mental stress that their body just can't handle it anymore and shuts down. That's why it's such a miracle that Gohan even woke up. From what I hear, getting caught in Tsukuyomi is like a one-way ticket to a coma."

"No way. But that still doesn't explain why Gohan's so out of it."

"I guess," Jiraiya said slowly, "that Itachi did something to Gohan to utterly destroy the kid's confidence in himself. You and I both know Gohan's not some arrogant little kid who's only playing at being powerful. He _is _strong."

"So what do we do?"

"There's nothing we _can_ do. Gohan has to gain his confidence back on his own. It's not something we can help him with."

"How long will it take?"

Jiraiya frowned. "No telling. It could be two hours from now, it could be two days from now. Hell, it might take two years or it might not happen at all. There's no way to gauge it. It all depends on Gohan." The sage scooped up the ball and tossed it to Naruto. "Since we got that all cleared up, back to work." He began to walk away.

"Hey! Where're you going?" the blond demanded.

"You've taken up too much of my time," Jiraiya said with a perverted grin. "There're some ladies in town who just can't wait to see me again!" He vanished into the trees, but not before Naruto heard what he was starting to think of as Jiraiya's Ero-laugh and a mumbled "Research."

"Lousy pervert," Naruto fumed. "What kind of teacher just ignores his student?" The blond grumbled and complained for a moment or two then shrugged and got back to trying to pop the ball.

* * *

Not much action in this chapter, but that's to be expected, since it wasn't supposed to be. It was more of a transition chapter, to get things flowing in the right direction. Don't worry about Gohan. He'll get his confidence back. Sorry if the scene with Bulma and Chichi seemed to be a little haphazard. A lot of you have been asking about what's happening in the DBZ side of things, so I figured I would put a small snippet in to show just how far along Bulma is with her extra-dimensional portal thingy. See you all next chapter.


	29. A Chance Meeting

Disclaimer: I own no stock in Naruto or DragonballZ, therefore, I do not own them.

* * *

Two weeks later, Gohan ambled into another town. He looked around, forlorn. He didn't know where he was. Then again, not knowing and _choosing_ not to know were two entirely different things. The boy was certain that he knew where Konoha was. Not many nearby had that many ki signatures, nor were the ones closest to him as strong, but something held Gohan back from returning to the village. Maybe it was shame. Shame at having been defeated so easily. Kakashi and Sakura had held him in such high regard, Naruto even more so, but that regard would be shattered the second they saw his face.

The teen's feet carried him endlessly in a meandering path that would've offended any person trying to get from one side of a map to the other. Gohan's trail crossed itself in so many places that it was a wonder he was making headway at all. Despite all that, headway was indeed what he was making, slowly but surely. For the young man himself, the minutes of walking bled into hours. Hours bled into days and days bled into days without end. Gohan wasn't sure when he was sleeping, when he was walking, when he was eating, and when he was taking a break. _If _he took breaks that is, since he surely didn't remember stopping for anything.

He passed an eatery and the smell of the food inside made his stomach rumble loudly. The sky was cloudless, not a hint of rain anywhere in the area, but several people stopped and looked up with wonder at the blue skies. Knowing he had no money, Gohan wandered on, passing more restaurants and pubs and food stands. He marveled at how many restaurants and stands seemed to be in the town. Of course, the fact that he hadn't eaten in a while probably had a lot to do with it. If Gohan had been actively looking for a place to eat, then there wouldn't have been a food stand for miles around. It was just one of those mysteries in the world.

Gohan wasn't paying attention to where he was going and slammed hard into someone. He and the person he'd bumped into slammed hard to earth. The teen stood after he hit, dusting himself off with his one good arm, but he wasn't able to reach all of the dust on him, since it was in his dead spot. He gave up, recognizing a futile scenario when he saw it, and turned his attention to the person he'd knocked over in his carelessness.

The woman was wearing a simple deep purple robe with overlong sleeves that dangled long past her hands. Her dark hair was short, cut off just at the nape of her neck. On her feet were the bandage-wrapped sandal-boots that Gohan had only seen shinobi wear. This woman, who couldn't be more than thirty, looked innocuous enough, but she had to be a kunoichi. Gohan's sixth sense confirmed it. No one who wasn't a shinobi had ki that shone this brightly. How Gohan had missed her was beyond him, but maybe that was just one more failing of his. He brushed the thought away and held out his good hand to the woman.

"Sorry about that," Gohan said, "Wasn't watching."

"It happens," the woman answered, taking the proffered hand and allowing Gohan to pull her to her feet even though she was capable of doing it herself. "Just keep a sharper eye out next time, okay?"

"Right." Gohan brushed past her, already intending to put the incident behind him, but the woman stopped him.

"Hey! Haven't I seen you before?" She asked, peering at him closely.

Gohan shook his head negative. "I've never seen you before," he answered, maybe a bit more roughly than he'd intended. He turned again to leave. His stomach let out a thunderous report again.

The woman laughed. "Well, at any rate, you're all alone and you're hungry."

"I'm not…"

"Yes you are," she said with a sudden authoritativeness that Gohan had heard only in doctors and nurses before. It was the kind of command that came across as a suggestion but it was clearly implied to be followed to the letter. "Tell you what, I'll treat you to lunch." She gave him another appraising glance. "And while I'm at it, I'll take you back to our place so you can take a shower and get cleaned off. It looks like you haven't had a shower in a week." Gohan shrugged noncommittally.

A few hours later found Gohan sitting in a restaurant with close to half the diner's plates and silverware in front of him. Beside him were two precariously-leaning stacks of plates and bowls, which Gohan added to every few minutes. His new acquaintance wasn't even through her first plate yet and she hadn't touched her food since she'd noticed Gohan's ravenous eating habits. The young saiyan set his latest plate on top of the stack, set his chopsticks down, and leaned back with a contented smile.

"You…uh…seem to have a healthy appetite for a boy your age," the woman remarked, trying to sound off-hand but failing in her attempt because she kept watching the stack of soiled plates.

"Sorry," Gohan said with a wince, examining the twin towers himself. "I didn't mean to get carried away like that."

The woman laughed. "That's alright." She watched him curiously for a few seconds then spoke again. "You know, I've treated you to lunch and everything but I don't think I ever got your name or gave you mine."

"I'm Son Gohan," the teenager answered.

"Shizune," the kunoichi answered. "You know, I couldn't help but notice your hirai-ate you've got there. You're from Konoha right?"

"Sort of. It's…complicated. I'm from somewhere else a long way away, but the Sandaime thought that giving me the headband would keep uncomfortable questions to a minimum. It's just easier that way."

Shizune nodded. "I see. That's Sarutobi-san for you. He always watches out for the people who need help the most."

"You know the Sandaime?" Gohan asked, incredulous.

"Sure do," Shizune said with a nod. "I don't have my hirai-ate with me or anything, but I'm from Konoha too."

"So what brings you all the way out here?" Gohan asked, curiosity getting the best of him. "A mission?"

"Kind of," Shizune answered. "I'm…on an escort mission right now. I have been for a few years now."

"A few _years_?" Gohan answered. "Isn't your family worried that you've been gone for so long?"

"I…don't have a family," Shizune answered. "At least not any blood-relatives. My uncle, Dan, died awhile back and I've been traveling with his old girlfriend, trying to keep her out of too much trouble."

"So where is the girlfriend?" Gohan asked.

"Not here," Shizune answered with a sigh. "I got left behind again while she goes on ahead to another city. I'm sure she's all right. Not many people could kill her. I know of only two people who could off the top of my head."

"Who are they?" Gohan asked.

"Orochimaru and Jiraiya-sama. I'm sure you've heard of them."

Gohan blinked a couple of times. Orochimaru and Jiraiya were the only two capable of killing this woman? If that was true, then who was this person? 'I think I already know that,' Gohan thought. 'Orochimaru and Jiraiya-sama are two of the Sannin. San. Three. The Legendary Three Ninja. If they're the only two capable of killing this woman, that means that she must be the third Sannin, the one Naruto and Jiraiya-sama are looking for. Tsunade, the medic-nin.'

He laughed softly to himself. How ironic, he thought, that Naruto and Jiraiya are scouring the countryside looking for this woman and I find her in the first town I happen to wander into. Naruto would be irate. Oh wait, that's right. Naruto never wanted to see his face again. His melancholy, forgotten somewhat in the conversation with Shizune, returned and it must have showed on his features because Shizune's face became one of concern.

"Is something the matter, Gohan-kun?" she asked. "You don't look so good."

"It's nothing," Gohan said with a forced attempt at a smile, one which didn't reach his eyes, leaving them depressed and downcast. "Don't worry about it, Shizune-san."

"Alright," she said, not looking convinced. "But I still owe you a shower."

"You don't have to."

"I know," she interrupted, "but I'm insisting. I can't let you go like this Gohan-kun. Not when you look like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders." They stood and were approached by the waitress.

"The owner says that the meal is on the house, ma'am," she said to Shizune. "He said to inform you that he recognizes a lost cause when he sees one and he knows that you would never have the money to pay for all of that."

"Tell him thank you very, very, much," a relieved Shizune answered with a deep bow.

"Sorry," Gohan said as they left and he followed Shizune to the hotel where she was staying. The room she shared with Tsunade was Spartan to say the least. In the room there was little more than a table for furniture and a single, very small, wardrobe. Two futons were folded in the one corner and the window was dusty and covered with cobwebs.

"Oh don't worry about it," Shizune replied. "Like I said, I'm not gonna turn a blind eye to you." She pointed to a small bathroom that was barely big enough for the tub it held. "That's the tub. Sorry about everything being so cramped. Tsunade-sama likes to keep things cheap."

"Why? If she's one of the Sannin, then she should have money to spare, right?" Gohan asked.

"You would think, Gohan-kun," Shizune said, shaking her head. "She seems more interested on spending the money we have on gambling and sake."

Gohan kept silent, not knowing how to respond. What was he supposed to say? Sorry that your boss is spending all your cash on alcohol and gambling dens? Yeah right. Instead, Gohan struggled to peel off his gi top. The sling holding his arm tangled in the fabric and the teen struggled to untangle it but found he couldn't.

"Need some help?" Shizune asked, smiling into her hand.

"If it's not too much trouble."

"I've been meaning to ask you about your arm, Gohan-kun," Shizune answered as she helped him disentangle the straps of the sling from the folds of the gi. "How'd this happen?"

"A fight in Konoha," the dark-haired teen answered. "Konoha got invaded by Otogakure and Sunagakure. My friends and I got mixed up in the middle of it and I got my arm hurt."

Shizune stared prodding the flesh and muscle, looking thoughtful. "When was this invasion?"

"I dunno. About a month ago maybe. Could be a little more."

"It's not broken," Shizune said. "It's more like it's dead, but yet it shows no sign of deterioration, or of rotting. No discoloration of the skin, no real deterioration of the muscle tissue. It's like your arm is perfectly healthy but you just can't use it for whatever reason."

Gohan's eyes went wide. "You can tell all that just by looking?"

"Sure. Tsunade-sama is the one who trained me after all. What kind of apprentice would I be if I couldn't tell all of that after all this time of studying and training?"

"Could you heal it!?" Gohan asked, suddenly intense.

"It depends on what's wrong with it," Shizune said, looking surprised at the sudden swing in the boy's mood. Up until this point, she'd been hard-pressed to get him to talk this much, but with the mention of her specialty in healing, he was suddenly alive with new life.

"Please, you have to!" Gohan said.

Shizune backed up a few steps. The kid was starting to get uncomfortably close. "Tell you what," she said, "you go take your shower and when you're done, we'll take a look at it and I'll see what I can do, okay?"

"Deal!" Gohan said with his first real grin in a long time. It felt funny to smile again. Gohan hadn't had much to smile about recently, but this was the first real good thing to happen to him since he'd awoken from Itachi's nightmare.

Gohan tried to be as thorough with his shower as he could but he still rushed it, so eager was he to have his arm in working order again. With two arms, he could stop being an awkward failure and start becoming the warrior he needed to be in order to protect his friends and family. Once Shizune was done with his arm, he would be able to start his training! No longer would he be a failure!

He came back into the main room, toweling off his hair, which hung limp around his face and neck. Wetted down like it was, it almost reached to his shoulders. Shizune eyed his bare chest and stomach with a raised eyebrow, not missing the raindrops of the Cursed Seal on his neck either.

"You like keeping yourself in shape don't you?" she asked. She was kneeling at the side of one of the futons, unfolded from the corner.

He shrugged.

Shizune patted the bedding material. "Lay face down right here." Gohan obliged her and she pulled his arm out from his side. Gohan flinched at the weirdness of it. He could see her moving it but couldn't feel it at all. It was the most disconcerting thing ever. The medic kneeling next to him started poking and prodding the flesh of his lame appendage, watching him closely.

"How much of this can you feel?" She asked.

"To be honest?" Gohan answered. Shizune nodded. "None of it."

"None?" Shizune repeated, incredulous. "What do you mean none of it?"

"That's exactly it. I can't feel anything."

"Can you move it?"

"Nope."

She blinked. "Wow. Then it's not what I thought it was."

"What did you think it was?"

Shizune shrugged. "I don't know. A hairline fracture that someone missed, a misdiagnosis perhaps, that can happen sometimes, poisoning, a birth defect, something, but not what amounts to a localized paralysis." She looked at him sharply. "How did you say you got like this again?"

"Invasion of Konoha," Gohan answered. "I got ambushed by a Suna jounin and a Konoha traitor. The traitor was a medic-nin and he's the one who's responsible for this." Shizune was nodding absently as she passed green-glowing hands up and down Gohan's arm, running from the fingertips to his shoulder and back down again. When she was done, she poked him hard, just above the shoulder. Gohan yelped at the sudden prodding.

"You felt that?"

"Yeah."

"How about this?" She poked him a little further down, right about where his arm met his shoulder. Gohan shook his head no. "Okay, so it's nerve damage. How'd he do this?"

"Something he called a chakra scalpel?" Gohan said, questioning his own memory. He really hadn't been paying very close attention to it at the time, being, understandably, more concerned with his arm at the time.

"Really? He used a chakra scalpel in combat and he was able to make a series of cuts this exacting?"

"Wait, cuts? Plural?"

Shizune nodded. "Yes. You've got more than one nerve in your arm you know. This guy, whoever it was, bypassed all your muscles and arteries and veins completely and only slashed the nerves. It was more than just one slice. It was several."

"But he only hit me once."

"Even more impressive because it means that the medic who did this did more than just make his entire hand the scalpel. I'm willing to bet, but this is just speculation, that he made a scalpel of each individual finger to hit the nerves he needed to in one go."

"Will you be able to fix it?"

"Let's take a deeper look, shall we?"

Again green-glowing hands passed up and down his arm, but this time took almost ten minutes for Shizune to finish. Gohan knew she was most likely looking at his arm's nervous system in depth. When she did finish, she was frowning.

"What?"

"He hit them all."

"Huh?"

"There's four main nerves in the arm that control it. These nerves are part of the Peripheral Nervous system, which connect to the Central Nervous System," Shizune explained. "Your opponent has made incisions in the Radial Nerve, Ulnar Nerve, Musculocutaneous Nerve, and the Median Nerve. Bottom line of that is this; these nerves are the highways of the arm's nervous system. Information travels from your brain, down the CNS and to these nerves. By cutting them up near your shoulder, where the nerves are pretty close together, this guy took down an entire limb with one attack." Shizune shook her head. "The skill needed for this type of attack. It's almost unreal. He's almost on par with Tsunade-sama."

"So you can't fix it!?" Gohan all but wailed.

"Relax," Shizune said, pushing Gohan back down on the futon. "I'm just telling you the entire situation. I think I might be able to fix this."

"You think?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah. The cuts are small, just enough to break the flow of information. It was like he was trying to cause you as little damage as possible." Shizune smiled. "It's probably a good thing for you that Orochimaru wants you as intact as possible."

"How'd you know that?"

Shizune patted the seal on his neck. "I knew I'd seen you before, Gohan-kun. The last time I saw you was when you were unconscious from getting this Cursed Seal of yours. Nice to know that kunoichi you were traveling with managed to get you back to Konoha in one piece."

"Why didn't you mention it before?"

"Wasn't sure if it really was you. Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. I have good news."

"You can fix my arm!?"

Shizune nodded with a smile. "Should be able to. I'm going to accelerate the regeneration of the nerves. It's going to take time. Most medic-nin aren't able to treat a wound like this because they don't have the chakra control for it. It has to be done slowly, millimeter by millimeter, otherwise the pieces won't match up and you'll have a bad connection. Tsunade-sama and I are probably the only two in the world with the control and patience this will take."

"How long will it take?"

"It's hard to say. How about we fix a nerve and see how it goes from there?"

"Okay."

Shizune's hands glowed green once again and she pressed them to Gohan's shoulder, beginning, at long last, the healing of his limp right arm.

* * *

Naruto shouldered his rucksack with a grunt. He and Ero-sennin had stocked up on supplies and provisions while they were in town for Naruto's training and it had added a considerable amount of weight to both student and teacher's payloads. Naruto gave the room he'd come to call home over the past couple of weeks a once-over, looking for forgotten items that he might've left lying around, but found nothing. Jiraiya had been pretty thorough in his own cleaning, not wanting to leave dangerous shinobi tools lying around where just anyone, missing-nin or civilian, could just waltz in and pick them up.

"All set?" Jiraiya asked, poking his head in through the door.

Naruto nodded. "Yep. I think I got everything I needed to."

"Good."

"Ero-sennin?"

"What?"

"Why are we leaving in such a big hurry anyway? I mean, you just got back in a few hours ago and said we had to move now." It was true. Jiraiya had come in about two hours previously, while Naruto was resting up from his latest attempt at bursting the ball, which he'd finally _succeeded_ in making explode the way it was supposed to, graduating to the last part of the Rasengan training, and said that they were leaving _now_. Jiraiya hadn't even allowed time for argument before he'd swept from the room, making his own preparations for their departure.

"I finally found Tsunade," Jiraiya answered, strapping his own pack down and slinging it over his shoulder. "She's close by too. According to my information, she's heading for a place called Tanzaku town. It fits with what I know of her rather nicely too."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a gambler, Naruto, and a compulsive one at that, even if she does suck at. Tanzaku is known for its huge casino districts. It's a city about the size of Konoha and about thirty-percent of it is all casinos, neon, and brothels. For a gambling-addict like Tsunade-hime, it's heaven on earth."

"Where is she now?" Naruto asked.

"On her way there, as far as I can tell. She left her assistant Shizune in the hotel where they were last time to gather all their stuff together." Jiraiya shot Naruto a side-long glance. "Seems Shizune is taking care of some kid with messy black hair and a lame right arm."

"Gohan?"

"Probably."

"I thought he was supposed to be in Konoha!" Naruto fumed.

The Sannin shrugged. "What he does is his business right now. Officially, he isn't even a shinobi, so there's not much the Old Man can do to force him back to the village if he doesn't want to go. Besides, we should view this as a good thing."

"Why?"

Jiraiya grinned. "Shizune is one of the best medics in the world. She's number two only to Tsunade, and I'm willing to be she's on par with that Kabuto bastard, and more than likely she's superior to him. If anyone can heal Gohan's arm besides Tsunade, it's Shizune." He cuffed Naruto upside the head. Gently. Of course, from a Sannin, 'gently' sent Naruto tumbling head over heels into the wardrobe. "No more questions and quit fooling around. We've gotta _move_!"

* * *

Orochimaru smiled widely as he beheld the splendor of the Tanzaku castle. It was a huge samurai castle that had been impenetrable for almost a century, in the early days before the major countries had stopped relying on samurai to do their dirty work and turned to the cheaper, and some would say much more able, shinobi. When that had happened, close to a thousand elite, and now masterless, samurai had barricaded themselves in Tanzaku castle and refused to surrender to the expanding Fire Country.

However, the samurai had been ill-prepared to deal with burgeoning might of the shinobi and, in the dead of night, a small group of shinobi, the historical records said no more than twenty or thirty ninja in all, had scaled the walls of Tanzaku castle, taken down the sentries, then slashed the throats of over a hundred and fifty of the ronin in the barracks. The ronin were discovered not too long afterwards and they were forced to retreat, losing over half their number, since the shinobi were outnumbered by a colossal margin.

It was at that point that historical fact stopped and speculation came into play. Some were unsure of how the castle finally fell. Some were sure it was poison left in the water and food by the running shinobi. Others said that the fledgling Senju and Uchiha clans were both hired by the Fire Daimyo and they'd proceeded to butcher the remaining samurai. There was an even more obscure source that said that the Rikudou Sennin himself came and single-handedly destroyed the castle. Of course, the fact that the castle was still standing debunked that particular rumor, but since it features the Rikudou Sennin, the father of all modern ninjutsu, that was the one that most people believed.

Orochimaru and Kabuto stood on the pinnacle of the castle now. Tanzaku was built on the only piece of high ground for miles. As such, the tower had a commanding view of the countryside for miles around, which was mostly rolling hills and grassy plains. There were three or four roads into Tanzaku, all only moderately traveled. The town was notorious for being a tourist trap and not much else. If you were going gambling, or coming to see the castle, then it was the town for you but if it was something else, stay away.

"She's coming here?" Kabuto asked. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Orochimaru answered. "she's been visiting most of the gambling dens in this area. This is the biggest one, and the one she hasn't been to yet."

"Forgive me for asking," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses, "but how do you know all this?"

Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "My dear Kabuto," he answered silkily. "Don't you know I make it a point to keep tabs all the threats to my ambitions? My two teammates certainly rank in that short list don't you think?"

Kabuto smiled just as darkly. "I suppose they would. What do we do now? Our objective is Naruto-kun is it not? If Tsunade-sama is coming here, then Jiraiya and Naruto-kun will not be far behind."

Orochimaru nodded, still smiling. "Yes. And I've been thinking about what you were talking about earlier, Kabuto."

Kabuto suddenly looked wary. "And that would be?"

"Dealing with Akatsuki. I think that instead of killing Naruto-kun ourselves, we take another, more circuitous route."

"I fail to follow, Orochimaru-sama."

"Tsunade is not an example of sterling character," Orochimaru explained. "She's a coward, running from the haunting memories of her dead lover, Dan, and her brother, Nawaki. One of her deepest desires is to see them alive and well again." Orochimaru's predatory amber gaze focused on Kabuto. "Can you see what we're going to do now, Kabuto?"

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei." Kabuto stated. "We'll have Tsunade kill Naruto-kun for us and her reward shall be the 'revival' of her dead lover and her beloved little brother."

Orochimaru nodded. "Exactly. But in order to put this little plan of ours into action, we'll first need Tsunade. Go into the village if you would. Collect her. Bring her to me." The Sound leader pointed to the courtyard of the castle. It was a sizeable area, over two miles across, a perfect place for an out-of-the-way meeting, or perhaps a battle between two Sannin. It all depended on how Tsunade decided to play her cards. "I'll wait here, in the courtyard."

"Consider it done, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto answered. The two men vanished in dark blurs.

* * *

"Well, how do you feel now?" Shizune asked, wiping the sweat from her brow. Four hours had passed since she'd begun her work on Gohan. After healing the first nerve, Gohan had reported regaining feeling and some control in his shoulder, which was a definite good thing. Bolstered by the outcome, Shizune had proceeded onto the other three nerves. She'd just closed the gap with the last one and not a moment too soon. She was almost out of chakra. She would have to take it easy for the next few days to recover all her reserves. Gohan was a good kid, though, so it was all worth it.

Gohan sat up, rolling his neck to work out the kinks. He'd just spent the last four hours laying on his stomach and his muscles were protesting it. His dark eyes found his right arm, dangling by his side. A part of him didn't want to move his arm, didn't want to have spent the last four hours hoping for the impossible only to fail at the last second, although that would fit with his life up to this point. Still, there had to be a silver lining in every dark thundercloud right?

It seemed to Gohan that it was a bad thing to be giving himself a pep talk.

"Well Gohan-kun?" Shizune prodded.

Gohan took a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst. He tried to move his arm.

To his incredible delight, his arm responded, for the first time in over a month leaving its resting position by his side and moving at his command. He flexed his fingers, touching each one to his thumb, grinning like a little kid in a candy store. No longer was he handicapped! He was whole again! His arm was back!

Shizune, watching him with a grin on her face, noted how he moved his arm up, rotating it at the shoulder, then winced and dropped his arm down to his side again. "Stiff?" she asked.

"Yeah," Gohan answered. Now that his arm was moving again and he was getting accustomed to it, it seemed like the limb wasn't moving as fast as it should've been. It was sluggish. Slow. Part of that was from disuse, he was sure, the other part from the muscle deterioration. "It's not like it used to be."

"Not surprising. You're going to need physical therapy to rebuild the muscle you've lost."

"Physical therapy," Gohan repeated, distinctly unenthused. "Great."

Shizune laughed. "It's not that bad," she answered with a smile. The two sat in silence for a minute or two. "Hey, I've got an idea. How about you come with me and I'll help you get your arm back into shape?"

Gohan opened his mouth to agree, then stopped, suddenly apprehensive. If he followed Shizune, then sooner or later, he would run into Tsunade. At some point in time, that path would cross with Naruto's, and Gohan didn't want to face the blond shinobi just yet and he said as much to Shizune.

"You've got more than physical problems weighing you down, Gohan-kun," Shizune said sympathetically. "What happened to you to make you say that you don't want to face your best friend again?"

Gohan bit his lip, unwilling to face the nightmares of Tsukuyomi again. It was bad enough they found him when he was sleeping. A huge part of him didn't want to face those memories while during his waking hours too. To buy himself some time to think, he started working his arm again. It still hurt when he rotated it up past the level of his collarbone, but the pain had diminished somewhat. That was good.

"Gohan-kun please. I can help you sort through all of this. Come with me for a little while and we'll get your arm back in shape, and maybe I can help you get over what's wrong with your heart too," Shizune said softly. Something about the sincerity in her tone made Gohan want to go with her. It was like she was a big sister, looking out for her little brother.

"It won't be easy," Gohan whispered.

"No it won't," Shizune agreed, "but rehabilitation rarely is, either mentally or physically. But I can assure you, Gohan-kun, even if I can't help you sort through your problems, I can at least get your arm back into shape so it's one less thing you have to worry about." She stood and held out a hand to the kneeling Gohan. "What do you say?"

Gohan wasn't looking forward to confronting his waking nightmares, but getting his arm back up to par with what he wanted it to be was definitely appealing. Still he hesitated, still unsure of himself.

"I promise we won't start the psychological stuff until you're ready," Shizune said.

"What if I'm never ready?" Gohan asked.

"You will be, and probably sooner than you think. I can tell just by looking at you. You're a strong person who never backs down from a challenge. This is just a different type, one that I'm willing to be you've never faced before."

Gohan wasn't so sure as he reached up and took Shizune's hand, allowing her to help him to his feet. "So," he said, "where are we going, Shizune-san?"

The medic grinned. "Tanzaku. Tsunade-sama's waiting for us there."

"Well then, let's get going." Gohan said and the two of them headed out the door.

* * *

Five hundred and ten reviews...FIVE HUNDRED AND TEN!!! Pinch me and tell me I'm not dreaming. I cannot thank you guys enough. When I began writing Gohan's Dilemma, I didn't expect it to be anywhere near as popular as it is now. The current tally stands at four hundred and some odd pages on Microsoft Word, which if you divide that by two, for the front and back of an actual page, comes out to about two hundred pages. For comparison, that's only twenty pages shorter than the United Kingdom version of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_. So anyway, long story short, you've all been awesome and I hope you'll continue to be awesome right until the end of Gohan's Dilemma. Also while I'm talking about the end of Dilemma, I'll announce right now, Gohan's Dilemma WILL be having a sequel, set for the Shippuden half of Naruto, entitled Gohan's Return. It will be featuring Post-Buu Gohan with a few changes. Also, since so many have been asking if there will be additional DBZ characters in Dilemma, I've decided to add a few more to Return, who will remain faceless for the time being. Look forward to that and the next chapter!

~WingedFreedom622

**Glossary**

**Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Resurrection): **This is the jutsu Orochimaru used to reanimate the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages in his battle with Sarutobi (and in this story Jiraiya) during the Chuunin Exams. It needs a human sacrifice for the resurrected soul to reside in. The corpse of the sacrifice is then covered in dirt and earth to shape it into the likeness of the soul. At this point, the soul still remembers its past life until special seals are inserted into the head, at which point its free will is sapped and it comes under Orochimaru's complete command. The earthen bodies are highly resistant to conventional attacks, making the zombies very hard to kill.


	30. Tanzaku

Disclaimer: See previous twenty-nine chapters

* * *

Gohan's walk to Tanzaku was only few days, to his surprise. During that time, he and Shizune had discovered they got along rather well. Shizune had told him all about Tsunade as they walked too. "She's a fantastic woman, deep down," Shizune was saying after they stopped for the day, "but she's really rather coarse on the outside."

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"Well, it's mostly because of her past. She lost her lover, Dan, my uncle, during the war and her brother Nawaki was also killed in the line of duty. It…changed her, Gohan-kun. She left Konoha, took me with her to train me, and we've been wandering ever since. She developed a huge fear of blood because of the way Uncle Dan died and she started gambling and drinking. Now we spend most of our time either in gambling dens or running from debt collectors."

Gohan stopped doing his one-armed push ups to regard Shizune. "I'm sorry," he said, at a loss for any other words. He resumed his workout when Shizune waved away the apologies.

"It was nothing you did," she answered. "It was the war. War changes people. You're lucky, Gohan-kun. You've never seen war, never seen the body-strewn battlefields, the bloody grass, the legions of corpses in body bags, the maimed coming into the hospital, missing legs and arms. You've never seen any of the families of those who didn't come back."

Gohan stopped again and sat up. His recently-repaired right arm was shaking with the exhaustion of the workout and he could barely move it, but he used it to grab the towel and wipe his face anyway. He was making good progress. Already his arm was responding better. Shizune said it was because of the fact that his arm was still supplied by blood and nutrients. He'd still lost muscle because of disuse, but it wasn't much and he was quickly gaining it back thanks to his heritage, ravenous appetite, and ruthless workout regimen. When Shizune had first seen him doing push-ups on his bad hand, she'd thought he would push his arm to its literal breaking point. It hadn't happened, thankfully and each day Gohan increased the viciousness of his assault on his arm.

"I've seen more of than you could possibly know," Gohan said finally, jolting Shizune from her contemplation of Gohan's work ethic. Shizune tossed him a water bottle. He waited for the last possible second, then his arm snapped up and across, swiping it from the air. The boy's lips curled up in an approving half-smile, then he undid the cap and took a big drink, water spilling down his chin.

"What do you mean?" Shizune asked as her traveling companion wiped his chin and dumped the rest of the bottle over his head to cool himself off.

"I've been involved in a lot of battles to save the world and other worlds," Gohan said finally. The plastic bottle in his hand crunched as it clenched. "And I was worthless in every damn one of them!" Shizune smiled inwardly. She'd been right when she's said that Gohan would confront his inner demons sooner rather than later.

"Tell me about them."

Gohan flipped himself into an easy handstand then took his left hand and put behind his back. From there he started bobbing up and down in unmistakably vertical push-ups. Shizune shook her head. Really, the boy didn't know when to take a break. What she didn't expect was for Gohan to start telling her about a whole other world and the fantastic people and places that went with it.

* * *

"Wow, this place is cool!" Naruto shouted as he beheld the spectacle of Tanzaku town. He and Jiraiya had arrived in town only a day or so previously and now they were wandering the city like the rest of the tourists. The only difference between them and the rest of the crowd was Jiraiya's scroll and Naruto's flamboyant outfit and Konoha hirai-ate. He found himself drawing more than a few glances as people wondered what two shinobi wanted in Tanzaku town. Naruto didn't care. Well, more specifically, Naruto didn't notice since he was so absorbed in his Rasengan training. He finally felt like he was making headway with the jutsu, having graduated to the last phase of the training.

Unfortunately, for the chakra-control-challenged Naruto, this was proving to be the hardest step. In his hands he held another balloon, only unlike his last one, this balloon was filled with air, not water. According to Ero-sennin, Naruto's task was to take what he'd been doing with the water balloon and the rubber ball and apply it to this phase. That meant taking his chakra, spinning it every which way as hard and fast as he could, and then containing it within a membrane of chakra. If Naruto did it right, he would form a perfect globe of spinning chaotic chakra inside the balloon which would spin with all the force and power of a handheld hurricane, but at the same time, the chakra membrane would contain it and not allow it to touch the balloon walls.

Naruto was having a hard time with the whole 'membrane of chakra' thing. His balloon kept bursting, letting all the power contained the Rasengan out, often with surprising and unusual results.

The balloon in Naruto's hand burst with a sound like a cannon, sending wind whipping everywhere. The young woman that Jiraiya was chatting with about Tsunade's whereabouts screamed, mortified, as her kimono's obi snapped like a rubber band and her kimono burst wide open, showing Jiraiya's suddenly-bugging eyes _everything_.

"Best failure _ever_," a used and abused Jiraiya said sometime later, chuckling his Ero-laugh as Naruto squinted at another balloon.

"You say something, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Jiraiya answered, giggling again. The pair crisscrossed the town, looking everywhere for Tsunade, but coming up empty. They turned a corner and vanished. Only a few seconds later, Shizune and Gohan rounded another corner and started walking up the street.

* * *

"That's too bad, Gohan-kun," Shizune was saying. Gohan had just finished telling her about his run in with Itachi and the torture that had come with it. "But you can't let what Itachi did hold you back."

"He's not holding me back," Gohan answered. "He just showed me what I really am. I'm a failure. An arrogant little kid who can't do anything to protect his family or himself."

"You're not being fair," Shizune answered. "Look at all the great things you've done. You helped out Dende, you saved your father from your uncle. You've saved your world two or three times over. You've stood up for what you hold dear and you've come out on top."

"I got lucky, that's all."

"Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good," Shizune said bracingly. "As for what happened with Uchiha Itachi, there's no way you could've known that he was going to use the Tsukuyomi on you. You had no way to know what would happen."

"I thought I could win," Gohan mumbled.

"And given your track record, rightly so, but Gohan-kun, there're people out there who are much stronger than Orochimaru and even stronger than Itachi. Akatsuki is a dangerous organization, made up of very powerful missing-nin from all corners of the shinobi world. You'll have to accept that you'll lose to one or two of them before the organization comes tumbling down."

"Maybe," Gohan mumbled, but he didn't sound convinced. "But I always freeze when my friends need me the most."

"Did you hesitate when your father threw you into the ring against…what was his name?"

"Cell."

"Cell, right. Did you hesitate?"

"No but…"

"Did you hesitate against your uncle?"

"No but…"

Shizune kept going, heedless of Gohan's protests. She was determined to prove to the young man that he wasn't useless. "What about during the exams? What about Orochimaru? You dove headlong into the fray against him, even when you had two-thirds of your power sealed away and unusable. Do you know how many wouldn't even try that? You've shown more spine than most shinobi show in a lifetime."

"But I failed!" Gohan protested, determined to be heard this time.

"Only if you look at it in the context of killing. Yes you failed to kill Orochimaru, but you allowed Sakura to escape with Sasuke and Naruto. You were marked in your second encounter with him, yes, but ninety percent of the people who receive that seal die. Only a very tough person can survive it."

Gohan didn't protest this time. He knew it was a futile gesture. He was a failure and even Shizune would come to see that eventually. Gohan was grateful for her faith in him, but she would see him for what he really was eventually. Shizune seemed to notice, but she didn't press the point.

_But what if Shizune's right?_ Asked a small part of Gohan. _What if you really are what you appear to be? A strong warrior, compassionate to his friends, always willing to put his life on the line for them and defeat the threat to them?_

'Then why did I fail?' Gohan asked the inner voice. 'Why was Itachi able to defeat me so easily? If it hadn't been for Jiraiya-sama, I would be dead and Naruto would have been captured and probably tortured.'

_You're only looking at the negative parts of your life,_ the voice answered. _What about when you first ascended to Super Saiyan in the Time Chamber with your father? Remember how proud of you he was? He was ecstatic and so were you._

Gohan didn't answer the part of him that was arguing against his current mindset. Still, after listening to Shizune and now the debate with himself, Gohan could feel a stirring of something new inside him. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but it didn't sit well with him. It made his stomach do flip flops and brought a sour taste to his mouth. He blinked. He couldn't place the feeling, having never felt it before. He thought long and hard about it and then came up with his answer.

Loathing.

It was loathing, a state of mind that surpassed even hatred. But why was he feeling this now, he wondered? What had happened to make him loathe something so completely, so totally? He hadn't been in any fights recently. His last go-round had been with Itachi. Since then, he really hadn't had the heart for a fight. Hell, he'd even started neglecting his training little by little. He just didn't have the motivation for it, stopping to wonder what was the point every time he started. Only now that he'd gotten his arm back had he gotten back into the swing of things and brought his body back to its peak while he worked to bring his arm up to par.

It was then that Gohan managed to tag the source of his loathing. It was him. Gohan himself was the source of Gohan's loathing. His deepest desires, his innermost thoughts, his drive to push himself to higher limits, all of it was suddenly rebelling against him. He didn't loathe someone he loathed himself! Loathed what he had become. The most central part of his character was rebelling against him. Perhaps it was talking with Shizune, perhaps it was regaining his arm, or perhaps he'd finally pulled his head out his ass, but however it happened, Gohan knew that what he'd become was utterly reprehensible.

"_What the hell are you doing boy!?" _Piccolo's voice bellowed at him, floating to him from over the mists of time and memory. The teen smiled wistfully, knowing that that was exactly how Piccolo would react if he saw what had happened to his student now. _"You get your ass kicked once and you fall to pieces? So what!? If you didn't win, then you weren't strong enough! Train more! Train harder! Train until you can beat the one who beat you! Now quit wasting time and get _started!_"_

"That sounds familiar," Gohan said with a laugh, thinking of Naruto, how irate the blond had been. In fact, his reaction would've made Piccolo proud. It was probably a good thing the two would never meet otherwise Gohan would be in a world of hurt if he ever acted like this again.

"I'm sorry?" Shizune asked, glancing back at him. "Did you say something, Gohan-kun?"

"Nothing, Shizune-san," he said with a grin, "nothing at all. In fact, I feel better than I have in weeks!" The kunoichi blinked, surprised. Gohan had changed. It wasn't a physical change as much as it was a mental one. Ever since they'd met, Gohan had always had a sad look and he walked with a slight hunch to his shoulders, like he bore a great weight and it was slowly but steadily crushing him. Half the time, he walked in a daze, as if he was unaware of the goings-on around him. Now though, something had changed.

He still walked as if he bore a weight, but he was more erect now, as if he were better able to carry the burden. His eyes were brighter and it looked like he was taking in more of the world around him instead of just watching his feet. He certainly looked more focused and…brighter, somehow.

Shizune smiled to herself. It looked like he was finally coming out of whatever funk he'd been in. It was still incomplete. There was a hesitance still in his stride, as if he were still afraid to turn the corner and confront some horrible demon that he couldn't win against, but it was much less pronounced. Gohan still had a ways to go, but he was making great progress. He was returning to the confident warrior he'd once been. Privately, Shizune couldn't wait until he was back to his peak.

She wanted to meet the real Son Gohan.

* * *

Tsunade stared at the cards in her hand, careful to keep her expression neutral. In her hand she held the two of hearts, the ace of spades, the ten of spades, the ace of clubs, and the four of diamonds. She pulled out the two, the ace of clubs, and the four, and set them down on the table without a word. The dealer slid three new cards across the smooth felt to her in equal silence. She picked them up and had to bite her tongue to keep from reacting.

She'd been dealt a king, queen, and jack, all of spades.

Tsunade had just ended up with a Royal Flush. She glanced at the men around her. She had only two thousand ryo in front of her after starting with ten, an insignificant sum for her, as the granddaughter of the Shodai and one of the top three shinobi of her, and several succeeding, generations. The pot stood at over fifty thousand ryo. She would win back her money five times over if she won now. Anyone else would've been elated at the prospect.

Not Senju Tsunade.

"Show 'em," the dealer said. The rest of the people present laid down their cards. There were exclamations and curses when Tsunade showed her hand.

"Royal Flush!?" One man howled. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"How'd she get that good of a hand?" Another griped. "She's had shitty hands all day! She's been folding more than actually playing!"

"Must've cheated," a third added as the dealer, looking rather dumbstruck himself, pushed the massive stack of chips towards Tsunade, who looked less like a woman and more like a wooden statue.

Tsunade's chair clattered backwards as the Sannin stood up abruptly. The man who'd made the remark about cheated shrank backward, clearly fearing the Legendary Sucker's well-known strength. Instead, Tsunade picked up the case she'd carried into the game with her and swept from the room without a word. The heels of her sandals clicked on the wooden floor of the gambling house as she all but dashed out the door.

The men looked at the pile of chips, then to each other.

"So…uh…who's gonna get all this?" one asked.

Tsunade burst into the sunshine outside the gambling parlor and set off at a brisk clip, her destination being her hotel room. She had to get out of town and fast. She would leave a message for Shizune (where was that woman anyway?) at the front desk and split town. Tsunade had no real destination in mind, but she didn't need one. All she knew was that she'd won at poker and when she won at gambling, slots, pachinko, poker, black jack, _anything_ to do with betting and winning or losing money, something bad was about to happen and she had to split right then and there.

The jade jewel of the Shodai's necklace bounced on her chest as she trotted back to her hotel.

* * *

"So where is this Tsunade person?" Gohan asked, looking around. He was eager to get to wherever she was and get settled in so he could start his training. He didn't know if he would be able to protect everyone close to him, to never lose in battle again, but dammit, he was going to try! "I don't see her."

"I'm sure she's around here somewhere," Shizune said, looking at a small slip of paper in her hand. "Her note says that she'll be here and…" She trailed off abruptly. She'd just caught sight of a familiar haori with the kanji for gambling on the back of it vanish into the crowd. The twin blond ponytails were a big clue too. Not many people in the world had that combination. "There she is!"

"Where?"

"There!" Shizune dashed off, Gohan hot on her heels. "Tsunade-sama, wait for us!" The Sannin didn't hear and vanished into the crushing tide of people like only a shinobi could.

"Dammit!" Shizune swore, stomping her foot. "Every time!"

"I'm sure we'll find her," Gohan said, looking around. "She can't have gotten too far."

"You're right," Shizune said distractedly, looking for her master. "We'll split up and look for her separately. We'll meet up at that restaurant we saw on the way here after sunset if we don't find her."

"Can we eat then?" Gohan asked.

"Only if you pay for yourself," Shizune quipped with a smile. Gohan grinned in return and the two of them dashed off into the crowd.

Neither took the right turn to find Tsunade.

* * *

Tsunade disarmed the trap on her door with skilled ease and let herself in. She stopped. Somehting wasn't right. Long dead shinobi instincts, instincts she'd truthfully believed she had left behind, told her that someone had been here before her. Maybe it was a muffled footstep. Maybe it was a curl of bloodlust, a slight noise, or perhaps it was a smear in the dust on the floor. However it happened, Tsunade was on her guard as she stepped cautiously into the living room that did triple duty as the bedroom and kitchen. She approached the door that split the room into bathroom and living room and threw it open wide.

Nothing. Only the drip of the water from her last bath that she'd neglected to let out in her eagerness to go gambling. Her gaze turned to the window, to the right of the bathroom door, and the black metal of the fire escape outside. She slid the window open and stuck her head out the window.

Empty.

A search of the closet revealed the same. Tsunade's frown deepened. It seemed that the hotel room, more of an apartment really, was empty. The Slug Princess shrugged. She was rusty, she reasoned, rusty and wound up from her win at the gambling house. Tsunade smiled. She was just jumpy, yes, that was it. Then she stopped, thought about what had happened and almost put her fist through a wall.

"I just left all that money sitting there!" She moaned. "Dammit!" She shed her haori, letting it flutter to the floor. She pulled her top closed a little more. She normally left it open to the point that it showed off a very impressive amount of cleavage, but there was something here that was giving her chills.

Tsunade whirled and lashed out at the air near the table. The air rippled with movement as the intruder leaped backwards, the genjutsu he'd shrouded himself in dropping with a crack like breaking ice. The intruder was a young man, no more than twenty, with round glasses, silver hair pulled back into a short ponytail, and nondescript clothes. "Impressive," he said, pushing his glasses farther up on his nose with one hand. "What gave me away?"

"You're a hundred years too early to pull one over on me with just an invisibility genjutsu," Tsunade snapped. "Who are you? Answer fast before I decide to start swinging for the fences!"

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto," Kabuto answered, holding up his hands soothingly. "And I have a request I'd like to make."

"I don't do requests."

"Oh no, not from me," Kabuto said. "I'm just the messenger sent to collect you. My master would like to meet with you to discuss a proposal. A job, one that should be simple for a kunoichi of your skill set and it will prove more profitable for you than you can imagine."

Tsunade sat down at the table as Kabuto backed up a few paces, wisely keeping himself out of the volatile kunoichi's grip. "I don't do requests," Tsunade repeated stubbornly, showing Kabuto her back, propping her head up on one fist. "Now beat it."

"I'm afraid I cannot accept no as an answer," the other medic said promptly, earning him a glare from Tsunade. "And are you sure you wish to turn this down?"

"Positive," Tsunade snipped, again facing away from Kabuto. The silver-haired man contemplated attacking Tsunade's open back right then and there, to end a threat to Orochimaru, but knew the second he got within range, Tsunade would be on her feet and on _him_, decimating him with the titanic strength that, along with her medicinal skills, had made her a living legend.

"So you don't wish to seen Dan and Nawaki again?"

Kabuto smirked as he saw the Sannin's shoulders freeze. There was dead silence for almost a minute. Finally, haltingly, Tsunade sat up straight and faced Kabuto. There was anger, surprise, wariness, and appraisal in her brown eyes. "How do you know those names?" She asked, tone icy.

'I have to be careful how I play this,' Kabuto thought, trying not to gulp. This wasn't some little genin he was dealing with. This was a person just as strong, perhaps even stronger, than Orochimaru. "Calm down please," he said, trying to be soothing. "As I said, I'm but the messenger. My master is the one who wishes to speak with you."

"What did you say your master's name was?"

"I didn't, but I do believe you will recognize the name Orochimaru."

Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't that. Tsunade would've been rocked back on her heels if she'd been standing. Orochimaru. The haughty prodigy from years ago, when she had still believed in life and the shinobi way. She'd never wanted to hear that name again. Tsunade had been running from her past for a long time. It wasn't supposed to catch up to her.

And now it had.

"I assume I am correct in saying that you'll recognize the name?" The kid, Kabuto he said his name was, asked, pushing up his glasses again in what was clearly a habitual gesture. Tsunade was already sizing him up. He was lean. That meant fast. More of a one-hit-one-kill type of fighter or an inexperienced fighter, like a lot of medics tended to be. His weight was on his heels. That meant he could fall back easily, but couldn't come ahead quickly. It would give her a half-second, maybe a little less, to get on her feet should he attack. The glasses probably meant poor eyesight. If she could knock them off, it would be over. His master was Orochimaru. This kid wasn't to be taken lightly.

"What's that bastard want?"

"A meeting, as I said. Please, Tsunade-sama, I would appreciate it I didn't have to keep repeating myself."

"Don't screw with me!" Tsunade snarled, shooting to her feet. "It's never 'just' anything with him!"

"Fair enough," Kabuto said with a nod. "Well then, Orochimaru-sama would like to discuss a job with you. Should you choose to do the job, then you'll be rewarded with…"

"Let me guess," Tsunade interrupted, folding her arms under her impressive bust. "I'll get to keep my life or something like that, right?"

"You'll have Dan and Nawaki back."

"What? Dan is dead! Nawaki too!"

"Not if you do this job for Orochimaru. He's developed a technique that will allow him to resurrect the dead. For him to bring back your lover and little brother is a small task indeed, even if they have indeed passed on from this world."

Kabuto smiled to himself when he saw Tsunade bite the inside of her lip ever so discreetly. She tried not to show it, but little escaped the gaze of even a half-competent ninja, which Kabuto was not. Such a title belonged more on the shoulders of Uzumaki Naruto. The silence spiraled horribly and as time went by, Kabuto could see Tsunade starting to think with her head and not her heart. If she did that, she wouldn't be of use to Orochimaru at all and the two of them would have to kill Naruto and bring down the retribution of Akatsuki on them directly instead of on Tsunade.

"Think of it, please, Tsunade-sama," Kabuto said softly. "You could hold your lover in your arms again. See him whole and alive. You could laugh with your little brother. All those years you've lost with them because of a few unfortunate strokes of fate's brush could be regained with the help of an old teammate."

Indecision once again clouded Tsunade's features and Kabuto could see her fantasizing it. Finally, the moments of indecision passed and the Slug Princess slumped.

"Alright," she said. "Where's Orochimaru?"

Kabuto's inward smile broadened into a triumphant grin.

* * *

Shizune found herself on the outskirts of Tanzaku with no sign of Tsunade. Where had that woman gotten to this time, Shizune wondered? Really, for a woman who was in her fifties, Tsunade sure got around. Most people her age would have retired from active shinobi duty, sat themselves down on their porch, and started playing Shogi or Go with other retired shinobi, only rarely going on missions or going into the reserves, to be called up only when the situation was very, very, dire.

"Then again," the out-of-breath kunoichi muttered to herself, looking around, "Tsunade-sama is hardly your average shinobi. ARGH!" She yelled, suddenly, rubbing vigorously at her scalp. "Where is she!?"

A flash of blond hair and a green haori caught Shizune's attention. She looked up, hardly daring to believe it, but believe it she did when she saw Tsunade's figure sticking out of the late-afternoon crowd that was flowing out from Tanzaku castle, heading into town for a drink or dinner. "There she is! Tsunad….!" Shizune's cry cut off short when she saw a silver-haired man come out of the crowd behind her. For a second, she thought Kakashi was in town on a mission, since he was the only one she knew of with silver hair, but then she saw the glasses and short ponytail, ruling out Kakashi. From everything she'd heard of the infamous Copy-Ninja, Kakashi didn't wear his hair in a ponytail. Instead, the unfamiliar man fit another description she'd heard of, only recently.

Yakushi Kabuto, the man who'd deprived Gohan-kun of the use of one arm for the better part of a month. 'Gohan-kun said Kabuto works for Orochimaru,' she thought. 'So if Orochimaru's right hand man is here, then that means Orochimaru is too.' She started scanning the walls and roofs of the castle, looking for any sign of a human figure up there. She didn't see anyone.

"If it's Orochimaru," she muttered, "I won't be able to get close enough to know what he wants, so let's find another way!"

* * *

Gohan stood outside the eatery where he was supposed to meet Shizune. It had been almost five minutes past sunset and if there was one thing Gohan learned in this world, it was that shinobi were punctual. Even being one minute late might mean you were dead, in trouble, or were about to die. Gohan didn't think that was the case, but still, it set him on edge. Shizune came around the corner.

"Gohan-kun!" She called, waving. He waved back and then stopped. A woman was with Shizune. She had fair, pale, skin, blond hair that framed her face and cascaded down her back in twin ponytails and a purple diamond tattoo in the middle of her forehead. Her brown eyes roamed over Gohan, taking him in, sizing him up, and _dismissing_ him! A part Gohan bristled at the idea, but he realized that this was probably Tsunade of the Sannin. As such, she was as strong, if not stronger than Orochimaru. Therefore, she would kick his ass, plain and simple. Besides, he wasn't sure he was willing to risk fighting anyone right now. He didn't have the power to protect everyone yet. "May I introduce Tsunade-sama of the Sannin?" Shizune asked.

"It's very nice to meet you," Gohan said with a polite bow. "I am…"

"Who the hell is this, Shizune?" Tsunade demanded, looking sharply at her aide and probably only friend. Gohan blinked. Shizune had warned him Tsunade was coarse, but to him, coarse and just too damn blunt were two entirely different things.

"Tsunade-sama, please at least show him some courtesy," Shizune hissed at her mistress under her breath. "This is Son Gohan," Shizune said loud enough for Gohan to actually hear the words without having to lip-read. "He's…uh…my patient I guess you could call him."

"You guess?" Tsunade repeated. She looked over Gohan again. "What's wrong with him? I don't see anything…"

"His arm's nerves were severed over a month ago," Shizune explained quickly, glancing quickly at Gohan to see how he was taking it. To her surprise, he was matching Tsunade glare for glare and he'd shed a little bit more of that invisible weight on his shoulders. "I ran into him in the last town and I fixed him up."

"A month? That means physical therapy yeah?" The last was aimed at the boy himself.

"Yeah," Gohan answered.

"Well get someone else to do it," Tsunade said, brushing past him and going into the restaurant. "Shizune has her own duties to do and I don't need her distracted by some kid who needs to do push-ups."

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune shrieked, mortified. "At least show him some courtesy!" The Slug Princess ignored her and went into the eatery. They heard her snap an order at the waiter inside, demanding to be seated, even through the sliding dividers the place sported instead of doors. It was a more traditional place with the whole wood-and-rice paper dividers. "I'm so sorry for her behavior!" Shizune gushed to Gohan with a deep bow. "I didn't think she'd act like that!"

Gohan waved it away. "I'm used to worse. Vegeta's about that gruff too, but maybe she does have him topped. As impossible as that was," he muttered under his breath.

Shizune heard him and giggled. She'd heard plenty about the prideful Prince of Saiyans when Gohan had been opening up to her. "I still don't like her acting like this. I don't know what's gotten into her." Shizune crossed her fingers in her head, hoping Gohan didn't pick up on the lie. In truth, Shizune knew exactly what Tsunade's problem was. The more conflicted Tsunade got, the surlier she tended to be. She longed to see her brother and lover again, but to get them back she had to kill Uzumaki Naruto. Gohan, as one of Naruto's closest, and perhaps _the_ closest, friends, would be understandably upset if Shizune told him. Right now, it seemed 'ignorance is bliss' was the way to go. "I wish we could straighten her up. Maybe a good shock or something…"

Gohan got a grin that would've looked more at home on one blond Jinchuuriki's face. "Tsunade is paying for the meal, right?" Gohan asked. Shizune blinked. Gohan should've known full well that Tsunade would never…

Shizune's eyes got round as she figured it out. "Yes," the aide answered with a matching grin. "Yes she is."

* * *

And that's it for this chapter! More of a character development thing than anything else, but it did bring along some positive things. Gohan's head is out of his ass, or getting there at least, and his arm is coming back up to par after what, five chapters? Since I update about every month or so, that means after five long months, almost half a year, Gohan is whole and (physically) healthy. Next chapter should introduce some fighting and set the stage for the BIG fight coming out later. I think you guys will enjoy it. Anyway, there were no jutsu used this chapter, which means no glossary. Leave a review and I'll see you next chapter!


	31. Prelude to War

Disclaimer: Own nothing

* * *

"Ah that's good sake!" Jiraiya said with a satisfied sigh. He slammed the cup down on the table and refilled it before downing the small amount of liquor and repeating the process. Across from him, Naruto was busy poking at a steak. "Wazza matter?" The Sannin slurred, his face flushed. "Don' want the steak?"

"Not really," Naruto answered.

"Why not? Missin' Gohan?"

"Nah, it's not that." Naruto gave the steak a vicious stab. "It's not ramen!"

Jiraiya nearly fell over. "Ramen!?" The Sannin howled, almost sobered up just by that one comment. "I bring you to a fantastic restaurant and all you want is _ramen_? The hell's your problem kid!?"

"What's wrong with ramen!?" Naruto demanded.

"Everything! You gotta eat more than just noodles and broth kid, otherwise you're gonna stay a midget forever!"

"I'll show you midget!" Naruto shouted. He lunged, but slipped on the seat and cracked his chin on the table. "Owowowowowowowow!"

Jiraiya laughed uproariously. "Serves you right!"

Naruto tried to glare, but the effect was ruined by the bright red mark on his jaw and Jiraiya burst out laughing again. Knowing he wouldn't get anywhere that round, Naruto sat down and sulked, trying to massage his bruised chin and his bruised ego. While the blond was busy looking anywhere but at the still-laughing Jiraiya, he noted an unusually high number of waiters hurrying past the table, all laden with more food than Naruto would've thought possible for one person to eat.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto stood and peered over the dividers that separated the tables. Another three booths over was where the waiters were heading and they sat down all the plates then left in a rush. Naruto frowned. He didn't know if they were going for more or tending to other customers, nor did he care, all he cared about was the fact that someone over there was eating the restaurant out of house, home, and checkbook. Naruto winced in sympathy for whoever was paying the bill over there. Whoever the SOB eating was, he was packing it away like Gohan could. Naruto froze at the thought. No! It couldn't be!

Could it?

Naruto hopped down and started walking.

"Where the hell are you going now?" Jiraiya called after him. He got up to follow when Naruto didn't answer. "Damn brat," the sage fumed. "Ignore me will you! I'll show you!"

Naruto stopped at the booth and just glanced at who was doing all the eating. His jaw dropped when he saw who it was. Gohan was eating like it was his last night on earth. Two women were with him. One was slender with black hair and the other was blond and the biggest chest Naruto had ever seen on a woman (and he'd seen some impressive ones while he was researching for his Orioke no Jutsu). Naruto froze at the thought.

Research?

That damn Ero-Sennin was rubbing off on him!

The blond was the first to notice him. "What do you want, brat?" She demanded.

Naruto ignored her, not even hearing her, instead focusing on Gohan, who he hadn't seen in half-a-month. The table was covered with food and on the floor next to Gohan, reaching almost as high as the teen's elbow, was a stack of plates and bowls.

"Hey, what's the big deal, kid?" Jiraiya asked, coming up behind him. Jiraiya too froze, but for a different reason. "Tsunade!"

"Jiraiya!?" Tsunade answered, looking just as thunderstruck as the sage himself did.

Gohan finally quit eating and jumped as he noticed Naruto for what looked like the first time. "Hey, Naruto!" he said. Well it might've been that. His voice was too muffled by the food that was making his cheeks bulge like a chipmunk's. Gohan swallowed. "It's been a while!"

Naruto shook himself out of his stupor. "Yeah!" The two lapsed into an awkward silence. "Uh."

"Right," Gohan said, nervously.

Tsunade broke the silence. "Why in the hell are you here, Jiraiya?" She demanded.

Shizune sighed. "Here we go again," she muttered.

"What am I doing here?" Jiraiya repeated. "Looking for you, that's what I'm doing!"

"You need physical therapy too?" the Slug Princess demanded. "Like this one?" She jerked her head irritably at Gohan.

"Huh?" Naruto asked. "Therapy? What's she talking about?"

"Are you a ninja or not?" Jiraiya asked. "Look at his arm, idiot." Naruto did and did a double-take when he realized Gohan wasn't wearing his sling and his arm was moving freely.

"Hey! You're arm's fixed!"

"Yep," Gohan replied with a grin. "And it's thanks to Shizune-san that it is."

"Shizune?" Naruto asked. He looked at the blond. "Is that you?"

Jiraiya clocked him. "Ow! Bastard! What the hell!?"

"Think you dolt," Jiraiya replied. "That's Tsunade."

"Huh!? She's Tsunade!?"

"Yeah, so show some respect."

"You're one to talk," Tsunade huffed, pointedly not looking at Jiraiya, much like Naruto had been doing only minutes before. "So cut to the chase Jiraiya. What do you want? You never said."

"Sorry about that. Idiot here distracted me."

"Hey!"

The sage plowed ahead without acknowledging his apprentice. "You heard about the invasion Oto tried to pull off?" Tsunade showed no response.

"A little," she admitted evasively. Clearly she wanted to be shot of Naruto and Jiraiya ASAP. Gohan too for that matter. The brat had just eaten most of her money, what little she had. Now she was regretting not taking her winnings from the Royal Flush more than ever.

"Heard what happened to the Old Man?"

"A little," she repeated, this time facing Jiraiya fully, a suspicious look in her eye. Jiraiya had a feeling his former teammate was putting two and two together. "He's still alive from what I hear, so why come looking for me?"

"He's retiring," Jiraiya replied. "Said he's getting too old for the job."

Tsunade snorted. "'Bout damn time. He was too old for the job thirteen years ago." Gohan noted a sudden stiffening in Naruto's shoulders. "Let me guess. The geezer wants me to come back and be the Godaime."

Jiraiya looked distressed, as if this wasn't the way he wanted to broach the subject. And truthfully, it wasn't. He'd had fifteen different speeches planned for this little occasion and none of them had considered Tsunade figuring it out this fast.

'Stupid, Jiraiya. Really damn stupid! Of course she'd be sharper than this and you should know better.' He shook himself mentally then said, "You got it. He wants you for the Godaime position."

"Didn't he ask you? You were already in the village if the rumors are true."

"Yeah. I turned it down. So what's your answer?"

Tsunade didn't even wait a heartbeat. "No," she said flatly and immidiatly. "No deal. I'm not being the Godaime, Rokudaime, Nanadaime or any kind of 'daime, so you can take your ass back to Konoha and tell the Old Man to find someone else for the job!"

"Why not!?" Naruto demanded hotly.

"It's a fool position," Tsunade replied frankly.

Naruto went very, very, still. "What?"

Tsunade noticed and started laughing. "You want to be Hokage, don't you?" She said. "If so, then you're an even bigger idiot than you look! What's your name kid?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," the blond growled. Gohan was closest to Naruto and he blinked, making sure his eyes were working right. Naruto's pupils were slitted, just like a cat's. The battle with Itachi flashed across Gohan's mind's eye as he remembered how Naruto had been cloaked in the weird, burning, boiling chakra.

"Uzumaki huh? Your newest apprentice, Jiraiya?"

"Yeah."

"Looks just like that other blond haired idiot."

"What's she talking about, Jiraiya?" Naruto growled. Neither Gohan nor Jiraiya missed the lack of 'Ero-sennin', Naruto's chosen pet name for Jiraiya.

"The Yondaime," he answered and his voice carried the strong tone of anger, his eyes narrow and dangerous. "She's talking about Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. He was my apprentice before you were. Minato was an amazing shinobi. The kind of talent that only comes along once every generation."

"Yeah, the Yondaime was an amazing shinobi," Tsunade said, "but it didn't take him long to die, now did it? Sealed the fox away and died like a dog. My grandfather and granduncle too, the Shodai and Nidaime. They were so concerned with giving the village peace that they gave their lives for it and died miserable deaths. The Sandaime got lucky but his time'll come. And the Fourth? Well, we all know what happened there."

"THAT DOES IT!" Naruto shouted. He lunged across the table, but Jiraiya grabbed the back of his coat as Gohan's arm came up and across and blocked him from the front. "Gohan! Jiraiya!"

"Easy does it, Naruto," Gohan said. "You know she's one of the Sannin like Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru, right?"

Naruto's expression was one of repugnant disbelief. "You're kidding. _Her?_ She's a Sannin? That joke's not funny, Gohan!"

"It's true," Jiraiya replied. "She is. You won't stand a chance in battle against her." He paused for a moment before continuing, killing intent starting to curl off of him. "Although, if she doesn't watch her mouth, she's gonna regret trying to insult Minato."

"Let the kid go, Jiraiya," Tsunade said, smirking at Naruto. If Naruto's hair had been black, Gohan would not have been surprised at all to see it turn gold right then and there and have the electricity start peeling off him. "So kid, you think the Hokage is some great thing to aspire to? Are you willing to fight for it? Maybe even die for it?"

"Damn straight I am!" Naruto shouted.

"I don't believe you."

"I'll show you," Naruto snarled.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya said sharply. He was ignored. Tsunade leaned forward in her chair.

"That sounds like a challenge, and I don't back down from a fight. Are you willing to put your kunai where your mouth is, kid?"

"Name the time and place," the blond growled. There was no mistaking it this time. His eyes bled from blue to bright crimson.

"The time is right now," Tsunade answered, either not noticing the eye color change or choosing not to care. "The place is outside in the alley." Naruto growled like an animal at her, jerked roughly to jar Jiraiya's hand loose, then spun on his heel and strode straight out the door. Tsunade snorted and followed after him.

"Your funeral kid," Jiraiya muttered as he stood to follow.

"She wouldn't kill him," Shizune said, but she sounded less than certain.

"She wouldn't dare," Gohan snarled, angered at the very thought. Shizune blinked, doing a double-take of her own. Gohan's obsidian eyes were a shade of green so bright and clear it could put a goddess to shame. "If she kills Naruto, she won't have enough time to regret it." He strode after Naruto and Tsunade. "I'll never fail in protecting my family and friends. Never again. Not _ever!_"

Jiraiya whistled. "I don't know what psychobabble you worked on him, Shizune, but you brought him out of whatever funk he was in."

Shizune shuddered at the look in the teen's eyes. He hadn't been kidding when he'd spoken of the things he'd done. Only someone who'd been to hell and come back victorious could have eyes like that.

* * *

Outside, the mood was no less intense. Naruto and Tsunade glared daggers at each other. If Naruto was at all apprehensive about going against a Sannin, there was no trace of it on his features. Jiraiya smiled wistfully as he watched his student. "Just like him," he said so no one but himself could hear. "Your Old Man would be damn proud."

Tsunade held up a finger. "This is all I'll need to beat you."

"Suit yourself," Naruto growled. "Use it as an excuse when I kick your ass."

The Slug Princess laughed again. "Show me."

Naruto's hand whisked out of his shuriken holster, launching the stars at Tsunade. The Sannin dodged simply by leaning to one side. "That all you've got?" She asked, watching the flight of the stars. "Because if it is, this is going to be a fast…"

"HENGE!"

The stars burst like balloons and turned into Shadow Clones. Tsunade's brown eyes widened in shock. "A Kage Bunshin? At his age? Impossible!"

One of the clone Naruto's laughed. "If I had a ryo for every time I've heard that one!" He quipped. The clones fired a shuriken volley. Not one got anywhere near Tsunade as her feet worked like a dancer's carrying her into and through impossibly small gaps in the volley. Before the clones could land, Tsunade was on them. Her finger stabbed twice and both clones popped, stabbed through the chest.

"One question before I end this," Tsunade said, turning back to Naruto. "Why are you so driven to be Hokage? It's just a title that's a death sentence."

"Because it's my dream!" Naruto answered with a feral grin. Tsunade looked taken aback by the answer, but she recovered fast and smirked at the blond.

"Big words. I hope you know a man can't go back on his word."

"I never go back on my word!" Naruto proclaimed. "It's my Nindo and I'll never go back on it!" Naruto's grin faded into a determined glare. "You may be an annoying old hag," he said, "but you're strong, I'll give you that at least."

"Old?" Tsunade asked, a vein bugging in her forehead.

Naruto went on, not hearing her. "So that means you won't die if I hit you with this." He held up a hand in front of him. "I've been working on this for the longest time now. Let's see if I can complete it." His other hand began tapping the air above his palm.

"Jiraiya-sama," Gohan muttered from beside the sage, "what's he doing?"

"Watch and see."

To Gohan's surprise, the air began to swirl and tighten. In seconds there was a small hurricane above Naruto's palm, the swirling mass of air and chakra sending tendrils of wind whipping everywhere. When he beheld it, Gohan felt a huge sense of urgency and dread. "I know this technique," he muttered. "But I've never seen it or used it."

Jiraiya watched the top of Gohan's head. 'So his body remembers even if his mind doesn't,' he thought.

Tsunade's face was one of blatant surprise. "That's the…Jiraiya! You taught him the Rasengan?"

"Sure did. He has more right than anyone to know that jutsu." Jiraiya smirked at his old teammate. "And I'd pay attention if I were you. I've seen what happens to people who end up underestimating him. It's not pretty."

Naruto roared a wordless challenge and sprinted straight at Tsunade, holding the swirling ball of whirling wind in his palm. Tsunade, he was pleased to see, didn't look anywhere near as smug as he she had just a few minutes ago. 'I'll show her!' was the only thought in his head as he dove in on the attack. Tsunade didn't waste any time. She stabbed down and drove her finger into the ground. Everyone was knocked off their feet as an earthquake sprang up and a crevice opened beneath Naruto's feet. The blond felt his heart rise into his throat as he pitched forwards.

An explosion shook the alley as Rasengan met unmoving earth. Naruto was thrown away, clearing the crevice, which was a good five or six yards long, and started tumbling helplessly on the ground. Gohan was at his side in a flicker of speed, stopping his tumbling friend with a foot.

"You alright?" He asked, helping the genin to his feet.

"Been worse," Naruto answered. "Now get outta the way, I'm not done yet."

Tsunade spun on a heel and started walking away.

"Hey! Where're you going!?" Naruto demanded hotly.

"Home. There's no point in continuing this. Any more and I might decide to stop holding back. Jiraiya!"

"What?"

Tsunade jerked a thumb at the small crater left by the Rasengan. It was a shallow bowl bisected by the crevice, the diameter being only five feet, maybe five and a half. In addition to the gash in the ground, the bowl was cut by a swirl pattern, like what one might see if looking at a screw from the business end. "Better stop teaching him the Rasengan. He'll never get it if he keeps going at this rate."

"Shows what you know!" Naruto shouted in answer, waving a middle finger at Tsunade. "I'll show you! I'll master that jutsu in three days!"

"Three days?" Tsunade repeated with a laugh, turning back around. "How could an idiot like you do it in three days when the Yondaime took three _years_ to master it?

"Well since my dream is to be greater than all the previous Hokage," Naruto answered with a confident half-grin, "I'll do it in three days easy!"

Tsunade stared at the boy. 'He just doesn't know when to quit!' She thought in disbelief. 'Who is this kid?' Her brown eyes widened when she thought she saw the specters of her lost love Dan and her dead brother Nawaki standing shoulder to shoulder with him. "Why keep going?" She asked again, knowing there had to be more to Naruto's ambitions than what he'd told her only a few minutes ago. "Why be the Hokage?"

"It's my dream," Dan, Nawaki, and Naruto said together. "I don't need any other reason!"

The Sannin felt faint, but she covered it with the coarse, thick-skinned, shell she'd built up over the years from all the pain and loss she'd suffered. "Well you're not short on guts, I'll give you that," she said. "Tell you what. Let's make a bet."

"What?"

"I'll give you one week. If you can master the Rasengan in that time, I'll take back everything I've said about the Hokage and I'll give you my necklace." She pointed to the piece of green gemstone hanging from her neck, dangling between her breasts.

"Keep it, I don't want it," Naruto said.

"You moron," Jiraiya told him. "That necklace belonged to the Shodai Hokage, Tsunade's grandfather. It's a one of a kind piece worth three gold mines and the mountains that sit on 'em!"

"Fine then," Naruto said almost immidiatly. "I'll take the damn necklace."

'Greedy little squirt,' Jiraiya thought with an eyebrow twitch.

"Hold your horses, cowboy," Tsunade interrupted. "You haven't won anything yet. Besides, I need to get something in return if I win." She held up a frog-looking coin purse that was filled to bursting. Gohan could hear coins shifting around inside. From the sound of it, the wallet was stuffed with all the money Naruto had earned during his time as a shinobi and maybe even from before that.

"Ah!" Naruto cried, alarmed. "Gama-chan! When did you…?"

"If I win," Tsunade pressed, shutting the blond up, "then I get your little toad here and all the money he's got in him. And I was a genin once too. I know how shitty the pay is. It'll take you a _long_ time to earn all this back."

Naruto spluttered.

"Do we have a deal?"

The blond looked indecisive for only an instant. "Deal!" he said.

Tsunade and Naruto's thoughts were identical as Naruto retrieved his wallet and started walking away. 'Sucker!'

* * *

_Six Days Later…_

_

* * *

_

Shizune went through her morning routine with all the care of a robot. She felt like glass. All week she hadn't said a word to Tsunade about the deal she'd overheard Orochimaru offer to her mistress. It was unwise to do so, especially since Tsunade didn't know Naruto at all. Shizune had spent the last six days with the blond genin and Gohan, both to guard Naruto from Tsunade, as terrifying as the thought was, and watch over the young saiyan boy to make sure he kept up with his physical therapy. It was only after observing both boys training at the side of the river a few miles from town that Shizune almost quit worrying about Gohan entirely. The boy was _driven_! He was pushing himself to limits that were almost insane, even for one such as him.

Quite possibly the only other boy who possessed more drive than Son Gohan was Uzumaki Naruto. The two trained in total silence, each one ignoring the other as he focused totally on his own tasks. Gohan went through blazing martial arts forms that were crisp and clean, graceful and deadly. There wasn't a single flaw in any of the moves he made, a testament to just how long he'd been fighting, but each time he finished a form, he would mutter, "It's still not enough!" and keep pressing forward. The medic was positive that it wasn't healthy to put that much strain on his body, but she trusted Gohan to know his own limits.

Naruto was similarly intense, but he was only working on the Rasengan, which hadn't improved much from when Shizune had last seen it earlier that week. That was a foregone conclusion, she knew, since even the Yondaime had had trouble mastering it, and if the rumors were true, had never managed to bring the technique to its ultimate form. Jiraiya had admitted to failing at that task as well. Still the boy was making progress. Each day, the crater that the technique made was smaller, deeper, tighter, and the screw thread spiral was fading as well, not nearly as defined as it had been before.

Each time he drove his palm into a rock and noted the swirl in the crater, Naruto cursed vehemently and went right back to it. It was amazing really. Neither boy spoke to the other. Each just pushed his limit. The only sign that they were even aware of the other's presence was that they stayed out of each other's way, knowing that the other's presence was enough.

Shizune watched the boys a bit longer and then slipped away, her mind suddenly set. Someone had to know about the deal being offered to Tsunade. She couldn't ask Tsunade directly because the Sannin would just ignore it or deflect the inquiries. It had to be someone who would know Tsunade deeply and could make her see reason, and maybe even stop her should it come to that. That left one person and one person only.

* * *

Shizune found Jiraiya fairly quickly.

She only had to search the brothels after all. She found him coming out of one, laughing with the two women on his arm, and his face red from what had to be sake. The old man started moving off through the crowd, so Shizune forced chakra into her feet, darted up the side of a building and leaped off the roof's edge, soaring well out over the street and in front of Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama!" She called as she arced for earth.

Jiraiya stopped, hearing his name called. He looked around, squinting past the blur of alcohol, and saw no one he knew. Only two people in this city would call him that. It was either Gohan or Shizune and he didn't see either around. When he turned around to continue with Aoi and Kimiko, the two prostitutes on his arms, he was surprised to see Shizune drop out of the early afternoon sun and land right in front of him.

"Shizune?" He asked. She nodded. "What does Tsunade want?" He was automatically assuming that Tsunade had something that she needed him for, although he couldn't imagine what for the life of him, and had sent the ever-faithful Shizune to collect him.

"We need to talk," Shizune said. Something about her tone cleared up the fog in Jiraiya's head. He would need to be sober for this. He stepped over to an open rainbarrel and dunked his head into the icy water inside. He came out spluttering and shook his head, sending water drops flying from his long white hair.

"Sorry girls," he said to the prostitutes, "I'll come around again tonight, okay?"

"Sure thing, Jiraiya-sama," one said with a smile. "We'll be waiting." He watched them saunter off through the crowds with a grin. Nighttime couldn't come fast enough, he decided.

"Alright, Shizune, what does Tsunade want?"

"That's why I'm here," Shizune said. "I need to talk to you about Tsunade-sama."

The way she said it put Jiraiya on edge. "What'd she do now?"

"It's what will she do that's got me more concerned," Shizune answered cryptically. "Can we talk somewhere else?"

"Lead the way."

The two shinobi vanished, merging easily into the crowd. They meandered, wandering aimlessly. Jiraiya was about to ask what was so important that they had to take such a random roundabout route, but Shizune shushed him with a shake of her head before he opened his mouth to ask the question. It wasn't as if Jiraiya didn't know what they were doing. Shizune was taking measures to lose a tail, both untrained and the shinobi variety. What was making her so wary? Shizune slipped into an out-of-the-way bar at the end of an alley. There were small windows that were so covered in grime you couldn't see out of them. There was only one door into the place and Shizune led him to a table that gave them a perfect view of the room and door, allowing them to observe the comings and goings of the clientele.

It was a pretty good location, full of drunken racket to disguise their conversation.

"So what were you so worried about?" Jiraiya asked. "What's Tsunade up to that so important." Shizune took a deep breath, gave him an apologetic look, and started explaining. It took her the better part of an hour and a half to explain it all and more when Jiraiya started prodding for more information.

"This is bad," Jiraiya muttered. "I never thought that Orochimaru would target Naruto."

"Do you have any idea why?" Shizune asked, looking more worried than ever.

"More than a few," Jiraiya answered, "and each one is more unlikely than the last. I've got no idea what's brought Orochimaru's sights onto him, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

"What's the main reason do you think?" Shizune prodded again.

"The main reason? I would guess Akatsuki. Not many people know this, but Orochimaru used to be a member of the organization. That much is certain. What isn't so certain is why he left. I haven't been able to dig up many details, but some of the evidence suggests a run in with Uchiha Itachi. I think that's most likely because of Orochimaru's obsession with the Sharingan."

"So maybe he wants to kill Naruto-kun as revenge for Itachi defeating him?"

"It's possible. That bastard can hold a grudge like no body's business. And coming to Tsunade is a good idea for him. He knows her. The three of us go way back, and he knows how to push her buttons. And mine too for that matter."

"What about raising Uncle Dan and Nawaki from the grave? Can he really do that?"

"Yes and no," Jiraiya replied. "Yes in that he can make recall a soul from the next life and put it into a body. No in that it's not a real resurrection. The revived person isn't a person at all. It's a sham, a body of dirt and clay, given the appearance of the deceased one, and animated by the soul. It's a jutsu, nothing more. The revived person is just a tool for the user."

"You sound like you know it."

Jiraiya stared at the back of his knuckles, his fingers interlaced on top of the table. "I do know it," he admitted. "Orochimaru used it to revive the Senju brothers."

"Tobirama-sama and Hashirama-sama?" Shizune breathed. "The Nidaime and Shodai Hokage?"

"Yeah. There was a third one too. I think it was supposed to be Minato, but it failed."

"Why?"

Jiraiya smiled bitterly. "Because Minato's soul is currently in the belly of the Shinigami, the specter that's brought forth by the sealing jutsu he used to put the Kyuubi into Naruto. Minato isn't in Heaven, nor is he in Hell. He's in limbo. Purgatory. His soul will remain there for eternity."

Shizune looked horrified. "That's awful."

"It is," the other agreed, "but Minato chose that fate himself. He knew the consequences when he made those hand seals that night. He knew he would die and forever give up his chance at the afterlife."

"So what do we do about Naruto-kun? Do you really think Tsunade-sama will try to kill him?"

Jiraiya stood. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out. I'll go talk to her. You keep an eye on Naruto and Gohan. Don't let them out of your sight. If Orochimaru decides to take out Naruto before Tsunade makes a move, come and get me. Gohan will be able to stall Orochimaru for a little bit. He's done it before. Let him deal with that bastard." He handed her a small scroll that he pulled out from inside his gi. "This is a summoning scroll, good for one shot. It'll call one of the toads to you. Let them know the situation and send them after me."

"What if you're already there?"

"Then we won't need it. I'm going now. You go to wherever Gohan and Naruto are. Remember, do not, under any circumstances, let them out of your sight. I don't care if it means sitting on one of them." He swept for the door. Shizune heard him mutter something that sounded like a curse as he slammed the door behind him. The dark-haired kunoichi left right after that, heading back to the river where she'd seen Naruto and Gohan training last, hoping and praying they were still there.

* * *

Jiraiya bounded over the rooftops, the wind rushing in his ears. Of course, that might've been the blood pounding in his head too. 'Dammit Tsunade. Could you really have fallen that far? You know as well as I that the revival of the dead is impossible.'

He caught a flash of blond hair in the sea of brown and black below him. It took only another glance to make the twin blond ponytails and the haori with the gamble kanji. That was Tsunade alright, no mistaking it. He leaped off the roof and landed in the intersection ahead, mixing in and moving with the crowd. He timed it just right.

"Hey! Tsunade-hime!" he called, waving, fixing his face into what he hoped was a jovial expression. He hoped it was anyway. With the dread and anger he felt, it could've been a death mask. No one was backing away from him though, which was good. It meant his face was either passably pleasant or not intimidating enough.

"Jiraiya," the Slug Princess replied curtly. "What do you want?"

"What?" Jiraiya asked, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. "I'm not allowed to ask if a friend wants a drink? I'll pay."

The thought of free sake was all the prodding Tsunade needed. "Okay." She leveled a dangerous finger at him. "But I don't want to hear that you were going around the village saying we went on a date or anything, you got me?"

"Why would I ever do that?" Jiraiya asked, stepping aside.

"You don't fool me for a second, Jiraiya," Tsunade snipped, brushing past him.

A few hours later found them both talking and laughing about the good old days. Well, to be realistic, Jiraiya did all the laughing and talking. Tsunade only sipped at her sake with the air of a person waiting to be rid of another as soon as possible and didn't want to take the time to tell the person to beat it.

"Aww come on!" Jiraiya protested when Tsunade didn't laugh. "You're telling me you don't remember that damn bell test thing that Sarutobi-sensei made us do? I seem to remember you rubbing it in my face every day for years afterward."

Tsunade finally lost it and slammed her sake cup down on the table hard enough to shatter the thing. The barkeep looked reproachful for all of about ten seconds, the time it took for him to meet Tsunade's gaze and hurry to find another cup. "Enough with the act, Jiraiya. What do you want?"

The sage sipped his sake slowly and set the cup down with excessive care. "What makes you think I want something?" he asked, not looking at her.

"We haven't seen each other all week and now you're suddenly interested in having a drink," Tsunade answered, glaring at him. "What are you up to?" She repeated.

Jiraiya finally returned her glare with one of his own. "What deal did Orochimaru offer you?"

Whatever answer Tsunade had been expecting, it wasn't that and it showed on her face. She was clearly taken aback by the blunt question. "Wha…what would Orochimaru want with me?" She spluttered finally.

"Don't hide it," Jiraiya snapped just as frostily as Tsunade herself had done earlier. "Shizune told me everything. Orochimaru approached you almost a week ago. He offered you a deal. He said that in exchange for killing my apprentice, he would revive Dan and Nawaki."

"So she was there," Tsunade murmured, almost too softly for Jiraiya to hear. "I thought I saw someone in the shadows when I went with that kid Kabuto."

"So it's true then?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah."

"Dammit Tsunade!" Jiraiya roared, slamming his fist down on the table. The varnished wood cracked with a sound like a gunshot and the sake bottle and cups slid to the hard ground and shattered, following the angle of the newly slanted table. The barkeep looked from one to the other helplessly before throwing up his hands in defeat and finding some more glassware to clean, hoping against hope that these two ninja didn't bring the whole stand down on his head. "You didn't take him up on it did you!? Tell me you didn't listen to him!"

Tsunade bit her lip, looking hesitant for all of a second before her indecision turned to ire to match Jiraiya's. "What's it to you if I did say yes?" She growled, getting in Jiraiya's face. "You're not my mother. You can't tell me what to do! Besides, you don't know what it's like! That pain you have to live with every day, knowing you won't ever see your loved ones laugh and smile again."

"Yes I do," Jiraiya snarled. "You're forgetting, Tsunade. I lost a son. He's been thirteen years dead. Thirteen years I've had to regret, wishing I could take his place. Don't think you're the only one who's ever lost someone you care about."

"And if you were given a chance to revive him, would you take it?" Tsunade asked, not backing down.

"In a heartbeat," Jiraiya answered immidiatly, plowing on ahead when Tsunade opened her mouth to argue. "But I wouldn't do it this way. Minato wouldn't want to come back like this. He would never want to be brought back to life only to discover that I'd sacrificed someone else in his place. He would hate me for the rest of my life." He looked her straight in the eye. "And Dan and Nawaki would do the same."

"Don't talk to me about what they would want!" Tsunade thundered. "What do you know? You hardly spoke three words to them!"

"You're right. So tell me, Tsunade, since you knew them best. What would they want?"

Tsunade opened her mouth then hesitated and closed it, looking away. "Uh huh. That's what I thought."

"Is that what this is about?" Tsunade asked angrily. "You're here to lecture me on how to live my life? To tell me that I should let this chance to see my Dan and my little brother again just slip past me?"

"Orochimaru is setting you up," Jiraiya answered, setting bills down on the table to pay for the broken table, broken glassware, and the consumed sake. "I hope even you are wise enough to see that. The jutsu he's talking about using creates a sham, an imitation of life that will, in many ways, be more painful for you than Dan and your brother dying was." Jiraiya left the stand but stopped and turned back. When he faced Tsunade again, she was surprised to see the rage and killing intent in his eyes. It was the deadly serious side that Jiraiya hid behind a veil of idiocy. This was Jiraiya of the Sannin, not Jiraiya the buffoon. "I wouldn't tell you how to live your life, Tsunade. That's not what this was. This is a warning."

"A warning of what?" Tsunade asked.

"I'm warning you to stay away from Naruto," Jiraiya said, killing intent doubling. "Don't do anything to harm my godson. If you do…" he turned and started walking away, but his last words found Tsunade on the wind. "I'll kill you."

* * *

Shizune was still watching Naruto and Gohan train, hours later, the sun long since gone, when Jiraiya found her. "How'd it go?" She murmured, not wanting to disturb the boys. An explosion rocked the area as Naruto slammed another Rasengan into the much-abused rock he'd been using for practice the last few days.

"About as well as I expected but less well than I hoped," Jiraiya answered.

"Do you think she'll really…you know. Kill Naruto-kun?"

"She won't get that chance," Jiraiya said dangerously. "I'll kill her before I let her touch one hair on Naruto's head. I owe Minato that much," he whispered.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

The pair stood in silence for another minute or two. "What do we do about tomorrow?" Shizune asked. "Orochimaru said she had a week. That was six days ago. Tomorrow is when the time is up and she has to decide."

Jiraiya looked worried for the first time. "I hate admit it," he said slowly. "But it may very well come down to a battle between the Sannin."

"But all three of you are skilled shinobi!" Shizune protested. "If all three of you were to engage in a battle…" she trailed off and let Jiraiya fill it in.

"At least one of us would die," he finished. Shizune nodded.

"Do you think it will come to that?"

"I guess there's only one way to find out. I better get some rest. I have a feeling that it's going to be a long day tomorrow," Jiraiya said, walking away. Shizune nodded and followed after him. If he was going to put his life on the line to stop Orochimaru, then Shizune would as well. And if Tsunade happened to side with the snake…well she would cross that bridge when…_if_ it came up.

* * *

The war starts next chapter! So look forward to it!


	32. When Words aren't Enough

Disclaimer: Own nothing

* * *

Tanzaku castle had been witness to many things. It had seen the rise of the shinobi, the fall of the samurai, the rise of the Five Great Countries, and with them the rise of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. It had stood for a long time, longer than anyone could remember, and had been a symbol of stability the world over. Today had changed the face of Tanzaku castle forever.

The castle was trembling.

It shook from capstone to cornerstone and every stone in between vibrated in what looked like terror. In its grand courtyard raged a battle of epic proportions. One not seen since the chaotic days before the rise of the countries, a battle not seen since Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama squared off at the Valley of the End to decide the fate of Konohagakure.

In the majestic and huge courtyard stood two tremendous beasts. One was a purple anaconda, and the other was an orange toad with a haori and a sword. Another snake, smaller than the purple one, and with mud-brown scales, writhed beneath the toad, but it was futile and the toad's bulk simply pushed the struggling reptile deeper into the swamp that had immobilized it.

Jiraiya stood atop Gamabunta's head, watching Manda and Orochimaru with a mournful expression. It had finally come to this. This was the day that he'd been dreading for years. Orochimaru and Jiraiya had been friends. Comrades. Brother-in-arms. They were so different but had been inseparable. It was a remarkable dichotomy. When Orochimaru had finally left Konoha, Jiraiya had been devastated, but he'd gone after the other Sannin to try and bring him back. To make him see reason.

The battle between them had been vicious and had nearly cost both their life. Jiraiya had told himself then that he'd lost his best friend forever and he would never return. For that reason, the sage had thrown himself into tailing Orochimaru and logging every scrap of information he had dug up over the decades. But deep down, in his heart of hearts of hearts, Jiraiya held out hope. He held onto the futile ember of stupid, childish, infantile hope that Orochimaru could be saved, that no matter how far the pale man fell, he could find the rope that led back to the light.

Today was a day Jiraiya had been dreading because he knew that if it came, Orochimaru would be beyond hope and they would have to finish that battle they started so long ago. The day had arrived, Jiraiya thought mournfully. It had arrived, like his logical side had known, and now it was time. Time to end it all one way or another. When he'd woken up that morning he'd known…

* * *

Jiraiya awoke with a yawn and a stretch. Outside his window, the sky was gray, heavy with clouds. It threatened rain and the smell of it hung in the air as a warning to all that it was going to be a shitty day. It fit with what he had to do, Jiraiya supposed as he stood and pulled on his gi, haori, and old-fashioned wooden clogs. He would have to forgo the scroll. If it got damaged in battle, it would be a pain in the ass to replace.

He stopped and looked next to his futon and smiled, despite the seriousness looming outside his cozy little hotel/apartment room. Naruto and Gohan, having apparently rebounded from their little spat three weeks ago, were sharing a futon, both splayed out and taking up as much space as humanly possible. Somehow, they'd inverted their positions in their sleep. Gohan's feet were only inches from Naruto's head and vice versa.

"Brothers in everything but blood," he said with a grin and a shake of his head. He picked Naruto up as gently as he could, trying not to wake the boy, which actually wasn't that hard. Most shinobi slept like feathers and would awake if you dropped a needle anywhere within twenty yards of them, but Naruto and Gohan were both out and sounding like they were sawing enough lumber to build Konoha three times over.

Each.

Jiraiya laid Naruto down on his vacated futon and pulled the blanket over the blond. He stirred and rolled over, but slept on. Jiraiya grinned again. Without the hirai-ate he bore a super-strong resemblance to his father, Namikaze Minato. That resemblance would only grow stronger as he grew. If Naruto ever decided to grow his hair out, then the only way to tell the difference between Naruto and Minato would be the six whisker scars on his cheeks.

The Sannin stared down at Naruto for a little longer, reflecting on how they'd met. Naruto had caught him peeping in the women's bath as the genin had tried to master the water-walking technique. After watching Jiraiya decimate Ebisu, the odd ninja tutor, Naruto had chased Jiraiya all over the village until he'd relented and agreed to train the blond. Not that Jiraiya would've refused. He knew who Naruto was the moment he laid eyes on him. After all, it was impossible to miss that resemblance. In fact, when Jiraiya had first seen him, his knee jerk reaction had been to call Naruto Minato.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Jiraiya said to the sleeping boy, "I haven't been the godfather you needed. Minato named me your godfather, trusted me with your care and well-being. I've failed at that, just like I've failed at everything else in my life. But I'll make it up to you, I promise. Starting here and now, with Orochimaru's death." He smiled fondly, remembering all the fun times he'd had with Naruto and Naruto's father before him. Despite everything that he'd failed at, and the laundry list was long, his time with Naruto and Minato was something he wouldn't trade for the world.

The door clicked shut with an eerie finality.

Shizune was waiting for him outside the room. She looked just as nervous as Jiraiya felt. "Ready?" Jiraiya asked. The aide nodded with a gulp. Jiraiya couldn't blame her. She was going into a battle where she really didn't belong, against an enemy who would terrify an ordinary person into hysterics. She could very well be betraying her oldest friend and mentor. It was long past time for second thoughts. The time to act was now and there could be no turning back. "Then let's go."

* * *

Tsunade glanced over her shoulder as she ascended the huge steps towards Tanzaku castle. The enormous white and dark blue color of the towers made it glint, even in the low light that the heavy overcast let through. She found him in the courtyard, just where he'd been last time. He was even standing in the same exact spot, as if he hadn't moved all week. Kabuto was with him, standing off to the right and a step or two behind.

"Tsunade," Orochimaru purred, a satisfied expression on his face. "Returned at last."

"Spare me," Tsunade snapped.

"Well then I'll get right to the point," the pale shinobi said as Tsunade continued to advance, stopping when she was only a handful of paces away. Kabuto apparently sensed danger because he stepped in front of Orochimaru protectively. "What is your answer? Will you kill Naruto-kun for us?"

"I don't see why you couldn't do it yourself," the Slug Princess replied coolly. "You're more than powerful enough to squash one genin like a bug. I don't see why I have to be the one to do it."

"Oh, I have my reasons."

"You're just manipulating me. I know that you want to kill Naruto for some reason and I'll bet you're just setting me up to take the fall."

Orochimaru cackled. "Kukukuku. As perceptive as ever, I see, but then, I never did say why I wanted Naruto-kun dead, only that I did and I offered you, quite graciously I think, the rather handsome reward of your dead lover and brother." He raised one deceptively slight eyebrow. "Well I believe that brings us to the matter at hand. Tsunade, what is your answer?"

Tsunade glared for a second longer before she slumped, the fight going out of her. "Alright. I'll do it. But you'd better live up to your end of the bargain or I swear that I will make your life a living hell if you renege on our deal."

"Of course," Orochimaru answered smoothly. The snake man made to take a step away from her, probably to leave without fulfilling his end of that bargain. He thought he had Tsunade in his power, so he didn't expect Tsunade to explode into motion and bury her fist in the side of his face and twist his head around more than a few times, bone crunching loudly.

Surprised, Tsunade stumbled back as Kabuto smirked at her shock and Orochimaru began to laugh himself. "Kukukuku. That hurt, Tsunade," he said with a sneer, his head slowly rotating back to where it belonged, the bones sounding like a hundred people all cracking their knuckles at once. "I see you haven't lost your inhuman strength after all these decades."

Orochimaru rolled his head a few times, popping the remaining vertebrae into place.

"You've gotten creepier haven't you?" Tsunade asked, rolling her shoulders and letting her haori slip to the ground and blow away on the breeze. It tugged her ponytails and Orochimaru's long black hair out to one side. "Don't know why I'm so surprised." She stopped limbering up and glared. "Shall we begin?"

"Actually," Orochimaru said, "I figured I'd let Kabuto fight you before you get to fight me. I believed you could use the warm-up."

"Not like I have a choice," Tsunade grumbled. "He'll just keep getting in my way if I go after you directly."

"True enough," the other Sannin agreed, backing up a few feet and letting Kabuto take his place.

"I hope you know I won't hold back, kid," Tsunade said sharply, glaring at the medic.

"I'm prepared for it," Kabuto answered, pushing up his glasses. He drew a small and simple scalpel. "And I believe, Tsunade-sama, that you will not be able to lay a finger on my."

Now it was Tsunade's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"

Kabuto's mouth twisted into a menacing grin. "Because you're shaking too badly."

"What are you blabbering about? I'm not…"

Kabuto's scalpel flashed silver in the wan sun and something warm and sticky splattered all across Tsunade's face and chest. Tsunade's heart suddenly froze in her chest, as her eyes found Kabuto's wrist and the vicious gash that he was already setting about healing. The blood was still fresh on his hand and it dripped to the grass with a silence that still screamed in Tsunade's face.

Tsunade touched her cheek gingerly and flinched with a small gasp as she felt the sticky mess there. Her pale fingers came away crimson and the terror that she'd lived with for so long, the hemophobia, the fear of blood, began to take hold. She felt her pulse and breathing rate begin to speed up, each one trying to see which one could outdo the other. She began to shake uncontrollably and her feet gave way underneath her sending her crashing to the ground. Her knees ached now but Tsunade hardly felt it. She just couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from her bloody fingertips as horrific and gruesome images of Dan's death played in mute fast forward in front of her eyes, followed quickly by Nawaki's death.

"No," she rasped. "No!"

"To think all it takes is a little blood to reduce the great Sannin Tsunade to a quivering and helpless mass that even a genin could finish in his sleep," Kabuto marveled. "Honestly Tsunade-sama, I thought it would've been tougher than this to kill you." He held up his bloody scalpel as he did. Tsunade managed to glance at the medical instrument but the blood on the small and keen edge quickly forced her too look elsewhere.

"I think I'll take some pity on you and just slash your throat," Kabuto said conversationally. "Good-bye, Tsunade-sama." He raised the deadly and sharp blade.

The air whistled behind the knife as it raced down.

A blur shot from out of nowhere and tackled Kabuto. The startled shinobi dropped his knife, which landed only inches from Tsunade's knee. She regarded it numbly, still detached from reality. Kabuto meanwhile had managed to shake his assailant.

It was Jiraiya, glaring dangerously at Orochimaru, who had been watching the proceedings with an amused smirk and folded arms up until this point. He was no longer smiling and no longer standing with folded arms. "Jiraiya," he snarled.

"Dammit, you lived," Jiraiya answered with a smirk. "I suppose it was too much to hope that you would bleed out from that Rasengan wound I gave you back in the village huh?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed dangerously at the mention of his defeat at the hands of Sage Mode Jiraiya.

"As if an insignificant wound like that could destroy me," the other answered.

"Insignificant?" Jiraiya repeated incredulously. "Losing a lung is hardly what I'd call insignificant. Besides, when I'm in Sage Mode, I can sense chakra better than a person trained in it could ever do." Jiraiya held up two fingers an inch apart. "You were this close to dying. Don't try to be all cool and say I didn't hurt you."

Orochimaru's scowl deepened. "Then shall we replay that battle?" He asked. "Shall we see how you fare now that I know what to expect from you and it's not two on one?"

"I think the Hime over there would qualify as a second person," Jiraiya answered casually. "As soon as she gets her head out of her ass and actually realizes that blood isn't something to be afraid of." Jiraiya settled into a stance. "But since that won't happen anytime soon, let's see what happens when we go at it mano-a-mano huh?"

Orochimaru reached down his own throat and drew the Kusanagi.

"Then shall we begin?"

"Yeah."

The two ran at each other and collided with dull thuds.

* * *

Kabuto watched the two blurs of color and sparks with wide eyes. He couldn't even follow the action. Orochimaru-sama would have to deal with Jiraiya on his own. There was no place for Kabuto in that battle. He turned his gaze to Shizune, who'd arrived with the Toad Sage, pushing up his glasses. "Oh well," he said, making Shizune freeze. She'd been cleaning off the blood on Tsunade, whispering comforting words to try and bring the Slug Princess back into the fight. "I guess I'll just kill you and Tsunade-sama and call it a day." He produced a more sinister-looking knife with a sharply curving blade.

Shizune could feel the sting of the weapon just by looking at it. She stood and stepped protectively in front of Tsunade as Kabuto began to advance. She sprang into motion when he took three steps. Shizune pulled up the sleeves of her shirt and exposed five or six small senbon launchers strapped to her arm. A deft pull of a wire was all it took to fire the contraptions, sending five, poison-laced, needles speeding for Kabuto's face. The other medic spun, knife flashing.

He intercepted each one and they fell harmlessly to the ground. "Nice try, but not good enough," he said, pushing up his glasses. Shizune wasn't there. A soft noise behind Kabuto drew his attention and he whirled, dark eyes going wide as he realized he'd completely underestimated Shizune's speed. He dove into a roll and Shizune's fist smashed hard into the unforgiving earth. To everyone's surprise, it gave way and buckled just as effectively as if Tsunade herself had hit it.

"Looks like I underestimated you again," Kabuto said as Shizune stood. "I don't think my information told me you had mastered Tsunade-sama's great strength."

"Did you really think that after traveling with Tsunade-sama for all this time I wouldn't have picked up a trick or three?" Shizune asked, molding hand seals. She took a deep breath. "Ninpou! Dokugiri!" She exhaled a huge purple cloud of foul-looking gas. Kabuto didn't need to know what was in there and he didn't want to know. The name of the jutsu quite clearly implied that it was certain death for him. He backpedaled, trying to outdistance the cloud, and succeeded, but he nearly lost his life right then and there when five more senbon flashed from the cloud. He ducked and gulped when he felt one snag in the collar of his shirt.

Gingerly, he eased it out, so as to not accidentally prick his skin, and drew chakra into his hands, forming the chakra scalpels with which he was so proficient. The poison cloud had dissipated enough to not be harmful to him anymore and with glowing hands and furious eyes, he charged right at Shizune, who drew a pair of smoke bombs and threw them at her feet. The area was enveloped in a thick white cloud of smoke and Kabuto couldn't stop in time, so he barreled right into it.

Almost instantly he realized his error, a part of his mind noting the rotten eggs stench of the cloud. It wasn't a smoke bomb that Shizune had thrown! It was a gas bomb!

"Oh shit!" Kabuto yelled as a new sound met his ears. It was the distinctive hissing of an explosive tag about to go off.

The ensuing explosion rocked the grounds with all the violence of a bomb ten times the size going off, throwing Kabuto out of the cloud. He yelled out in pain as he landed hard and started rolling to try and put out all the small little embers that had taken root on his clothing and had started to smolder. He managed to pre-smother any fire and stood up with a long-suffering sigh. "What is it with my enemies wanting to burn me alive?" he asked to no one. "First Itachi-san tried to set me on fire using Amaterasu and now this? Have I angered the god of fire or something?"

"I don't know about that," Shizune answered, drawing a pair of kunai, one for each hand, "but you'll be able to ask him in the next life!" Kabuto's chakra scalpels faded and he drew his wicked-looking knife and its twin. Chakra scalpels wouldn't block a physical attack. He would need steel in order to do that.

He braced himself for Shizune's next onslaught, wondering just what move the wily kunoichi would pull out of her bag of tricks this time.

* * *

The rumble of thunder was what woke Gohan. He sat up with a start, looking out the window. It was that kind of gloomy dark that seemed to calm the soul more than bring about any real apprehension. The saiyan boy stood and stretched, feeling his muscles still softly burning from the workout the night before. He clenched his right hand into a fist and snapped out a few rapid punches. He grinned, satisfied. It seemed like his heritage and inhuman training regimen had really worked in his favor in the week or so since he'd regained use of his arm. It still wasn't fully up to snuff, but it was so close that Gohan could taste it and he, if truth be told, really didn't notice the difference anymore.

He glanced out the window again. It was going to blow pretty good around here pretty soon. Gohan didn't know if he would go out to train today. A break would be good, to allow his body a little rest, and if there was any day to do it, now was the perfect time. He glanced at Naruto, who'd some how gotten himself into Jiraiya's futon and rolled himself up in the blanket. It was probably a good thing Jiraiya himself wasn't here otherwise he would've made a big fuss and probably would've woken up half the apartment with the argument that would've followed.

Speaking of Jiraiya, where was he? He wasn't anywhere nearby, that much was certain. Maybe he was out in the village somewhere. Gohan began to look, closing his eyes and extending his senses outwards. Had he been fully awake, he would've been able to feel out the entire city, no problem, but like everything else in a human or saiyan body, it needed time to wake up and get ready for the day. Gohan caught a faint flicker of Jiraiya's ki, far out there, on the other end of town. With him were two that were sort of familiar, which was probably Shizune and Tsunade, and two more that…

Gohan's eyes snapped open as he felt the bucket of ice water dump itself down his spine. Goosebumps broke out up and down his arms and he suddenly felt very, very, cold, like a ball of ice had taken up residence in his gut. It was Kabuto and Orochimaru. They were the only two with ki that foul, Orochimaru's especially was like a bad odor, like someone had taken eggs, left them in the sun for three days, then taken a whole mound of week-old soiled baby diapers and dumped them on top of the eggs.

Gohan had apparently made some type of noise because Naruto opened one bleary eye and sat up. "Gohan?" He asked, wiping sleep from one bleary eye. "Wuzz goin' on? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Worse," Gohan answered, looking towards where Jiraiya and the others were. He could feel Orochimaru and Jiraiya's ki clashing again and again as Shizune's clashed with Kabuto's. Tsunade's wasn't moving at it was wavering. Not like she was dying or anything, but more like she was uncertain. It was like her very soul was hesitating to enter battle and after what Gohan had seen a week ago outside that bar, it didn't seem like confident, arrogant, coarse Tsunade at all. "Orochimaru's in town."

"Orochimaru!" Naruto repeated, looking dumbstruck. "Are you sure!"

"Hell would freeze over before I forget what that ki feels like," Gohan answered, brow knitting. "He's fighting Jiraiya-sama…near that big castle I think. Shizune-san and Tsunade-sama are there too. Shizune-san's fighting Kabuto."

"What's the Old Hag doing?" Naruto demanded. "She should be fighting Kabuto, not Shizune-nee-san."

Gohan's frown deepened. "I don't know. She's just…sitting there, like she doesn't want to fight."

"What? After she was all ready to kick my ass the other night? You sure we're talking about the same old lady here, Gohan?"

"Positive. Who else could it be?"

"Then there's only one thing to do," Naruto declared as he stood and started pulling on his clothes.

"What's that?"

Naruto grinned. "We'll go and see for ourselves."

"What? Are you nuts? This is Orochimaru we're talking about," Gohan replied in protest. "If we went, we'd just get in the way! It's better if we stay here. We can wait until they get back." Naruto ignored his friend and went to the window and yanked it open, letting in the chill breeze and the sweet scent of rain.

"Suit yourself," he said over his shoulder, "but I'm going and that's that." Without waiting for a reply, he vaulted out over the rooftops of Tanzaku.

"Naruto!" Gohan called, his voice echoing off the buildings, but the orange dot that Naruto had become didn't slow down or even falter. It kept a steady course for the castle. Gohan felt like he'd touched a live electric wire as Shizune's ki suddenly wavered and faded a bit. "Shizune-san!" He yelled, despite himself. Wavering ki was okay. That could mean shock or indecision. Fading was bad. There were only two things that fading ki meant. Either the user was powering down, unlikely in this situation, since Kabuto was still like a beacon to Gohan's sixth sense, or Shizune had taken a bad hit and was one step closer to death. "Damn!"

Gohan didn't even remember throwing himself out the window and zooming off after Naruto. He didn't even give the blond a warning before he'd swept him up in one fast pass, slung Naruto over his back, and poured on the speed, bathing the both of them in an aura of blue-white light as Gohan went even faster.

* * *

Shizune cried out as her ankle caught fire. She'd tried to leap out of the way of an attack, but Kabuto had been faster than expected and just barely managed to tap her ankle. Unfortunately, with a chakra scalpel, that had been all that was needed and it gave out under her, driving her to her knees the second she put weight on it. A sharp backhand threw her to the ground in front of Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, please, help us!" Shizune pleaded with her mentor. The Sannin didn't budge, only shaking her head like a scared little kid, ponytails flying, and hugging herself, still trembling violently. "Tsunade-sama!"

"It won't do you any good," Kabuto said with a laugh. "She's too scared to do anything. You're going to die defending her and then I'll kill her without any trouble at all." A huge dual explosion touched off in front of them as Gamabunta and Manda appeared on the battlefield. Kabuto's smirk widened. "And it looks like Orochimaru-sama's closing in for the kill."

Kabuto's world exploded as something fell from the sky and blasted him right off his feet. He was sent tumbling out of control over the ground until he smashed into a rock and came to an abrupt and painful stop. He clambered back to his feet wincing as he beheld just who'd hit him. His shock turned to amusement. "Well well, if it isn't Uzumaki Naruto-kun. It's been a while." He looked up and saw the restored Gohan floating above him. "And Gohan-kun too."

"Kabuto," Naruto growled. "What the hell are you doing to Shizune-nee-san?"

Kabuto pushed up his glasses with one finger. "Killing her," he answered frankly. "But I will be more than happy to kill you first if you would like."

"Che. Like you could," Naruto said, puffing out his chest. "I'll kick your ass with my new and awesome technique!"

"A new technique?" Kabuto asked, smiling condescendingly. "Isn't that interesting. I wonder if you could even touch me with it?" Naruto's brow twitched. Kabuto saw it and went on, knowing he could easily goad the blond. "Of course, that is assuming you are not bluffing and have indeed developed a technique to defeat me, which I doubt. Don't forget, please, Naruto-kun, that I have stood on equal ground with Kakashi-san. He was unable to kill me, so what gives you the idea that you, the worst in your class, can?"

"Don't underestimate me," Naruto growled, flinging a kunai at Kabuto's head. The silver-haired traitor simply leaned to one side and snagged the knife by the ring as it whizzed passed.

"Thank you for the weapon, Naruto-kun," Kabuto said conversationally.

"You…" Naruto growled.

"Please be patient," Kabuto said soothingly, stowing the knife. "I'll kill Tsunade-sama right now and then we can commence our battle." He lunged forward. His fist flashed, heading straight for Tsunade's head.

"Tsunade-sama!"

"Baa-chan!"

Kabuto's face was a mask of triumph. His fist slammed hard into a head, but Kabuto's eyes grew wide when he realized just what had happened. Naruto had thrown himself in front of the attack, taking the blow meant to split Tsunade's skull. Blood ran down his face from behind the hirai-ate, but the pain, if he even _felt _the pain, didn't diminish the fires in Naruto's clear cerulean eyes. "You!"

"Yeah me," Naruto answered. "If you want to hurt the old lady then you'll have to go through me first!"

Tsunade flinched at Naruto's voice, showing the first signs of life in a very long while. "Naruto," she whispered as Shizune dragged herself over to Tsunade's side and began healing her disabled ankle. "Why?"

Naruto grinned dangerously. Kabuto pulled his fist back and took a step or two away from the blond, eyes calculating, reevaluating Naruto. Apparently he'd underestimated the Jinchuuriki and by a fairly decent amount. "We've still got a bet going Baa-chan," Naruto answered, not loosing his grin. "And I think it's time I collected!" He made a cross-shaped hand seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

He made only a single clone and held out his hand. When the clone began to pat the air around the original's palm, Kabuto wondered what the boy was up to. When the air began to swirl and condense, pulling tighter and tighter into a globe of spinning hand-held mayhem, Kabuto knew. He was over twenty years old. He was old enough to remember the night the Kyuubi attacked and, more importantly, he remembered, faintly, seeing that jutsu used before, except it'd been used by another blond-haired blue-eyed person, but never would Kabuto forget the effects.

"No! I won't let you!" Kabuto yelled, rushing forward, pulling out the knife he'd taken from Naruto only a minute or two ago. "I won't let you use that!"

"You don't have any say in the matter!" Naruto answered. Kabuto stabbed.

Blood flew and sprayed Naruto's face, making him squint, but he clamped down, the kunai's blade slicing right between his middle and ring fingers, gashing the skin in between with a vicious cut. Kabuto's eyes grew wide as he realized that Naruto's grip was unmovable and it would take a second to break his grip. Kabuto didn't have a second.

Tsunade's face was a mask of surprise and disbelief as she watched Naruto complete the technique. This time there was no wind peeling off from the shell of chakra he held in his hand. There was no howling wind assaulting her. It was perfectly still. But in Naruto's hand, he held a maelstrom, more chaotic than a hurricane, moving faster than a tornado. The clone dispelled itself. "It's not possible," she breathed. "There's no way he could've completed it in such a short time!" Then she remembered what Jiraiya had told her a week ago.

"_And I'd pay attention if I were you. I've seen what happens to people who end up underestimating him. It's not pretty."_

"Now Baa-chan!" Naruto crowed as he yanked Kabuto towards him. "It's time to show off my new jutsu! _RASENGAN!_"

Kabuto howled in pain as he felt the technique of the Yondaime begin to dig into his stomach. Flesh ripped and tore, blood was flung everywhere and Kabuto could feel himself begin to lift off his feet as Naruto pushed even deeper. With a wordless yell, Naruto set his feet and _pushed_. Kabuto's world became a sea of red blood and white-hot pain. He was only vaguely aware of being thrown away, the world spinning wildly around him, then all that came to an abrupt end as he slammed hard enough into a boulder to hear his back crack and send lances of lightning up his spine.

The silence on the battlefield was complete.

"Holy _shit_!" Naruto swore, having no other words to describe his shock. He'd known that since it was the Fourth's technique it would pack a wallop, but this…this was just damn impossible! Kabuto was laying a good thirty yards away, limp and motionless, his shredded skin bleeding profusely. "Damn! I didn't think it would be that strong!" He looked at his right hand, which was still tingly from holding so much power. "I think I just found my new favorite technique!"

'Unbelievable,' Tsunade thought, awestruck. 'He really did it! He mastered a technique that took the Yondaime three years and he did it in a _week_! What the hell is he!'

"That was incredible!" Gohan crowed, landing beside his friend. He'd been watching from up in the air, deciding to leave Kabuto to Naruto and Orochimaru to Jiraiya, who was better qualified to handle the Sannin in the first place. "Wow! What power!"

"I know!" Naruto agreed, just as amazed. "I still can't believe it! A one hit KO?"

"Looks that way," Gohan agreed, looking over to the line that Rasengan had bored into the hard ground when it had taken off with Kabuto along for the ride. "Man, I'd kill to have known that technique during the Cell Games."

* * *

"Kabuto was defeated?" Orochimaru asked, incredulously from atop Manda's head, having seen the stunning victory out of the corner of his eye. "Impossible."

"Not for Naruto it's not," Jiraiya answered with pride in his voice. "That kid'll climb mountains to protect someone and to achieve his dream." He grinned as he looked Orochimaru in the eye. "You're not going to win here."

"Oh really? We'll just see about that!" Orochimaru pulled out the Kusanagi again, which he'd sheathed when the battle had gone into the ninjutsu area. "Let's see how he fares when he's dead! I will teach him to mess around in a battle that he doesn't belong in!"

Orochimaru hurled the sword as hard as he could.

"No!" Jiraiya called as the sword whipped past, just out of reach. "Naruto!"

Naruto had his back to Orochimaru and Manda, since he was helping Shizune with Tsunade while Gohan looked on and he didn't hear the warning until it was too late.

Didn't turn until it was too late.

Gohan was laughing at something Naruto was saying when the blond lurched suddenly. "Naruto?" Gohan asked. "You okay…" He trailed off and three sets of eyes went wide when they noticed the finely edged blade of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi protruding from Naruto's chest.

The blond had just enough time to cough up blood, splattering Tsunade again, who looked horrified, seeing someone who bore such a striking resemblance to Nawaki get so grievously injured.

Naruto didn't even have time to do more than register the huge pain in his chest before his eyes rolled back and he keeled over sideways, unmoving.

"Naruto!" Gohan shouted, dropping to his knees at his friend's side. He shook the blonde's shoulder. "Naruto!" He recoiled when he felt how clammy Naruto's skin was. And there was one more problem.

Naruto's ki was fading fast.

Jiraiya arrived next, staring down at the body of his godson, horrified.

While the Konoha-nin clustered around the body of one of their own, Kabuto clambered back to his feet, focusing chakra into his hands and pressing them to his stomach, healing himself of the grievous injuries that the Rasengan had dealt to him.

Orochimaru began laughing, but no one heard him, since they were too focused on the tragedy lying on the ground before them. The Snake Sannin made a gesture, like he was beckoning someone over to him and the sword in Naruto's chest ripped itself free, floated back a few inches, then turned into a small, white, blood splattered snake that slithered away and crawled up Orochimaru's leg to coil in his hand and turn back into the sword.

"Naruto!" Gohan called again when the sword left and blood began flowing freely from Naruto's chest. The blond did give a feeble cry of pain when the sword was pulled free but that didn't mean much in this situation. Gohan felt the world open up and his knees give out. The skies rumbled menacingly and rain began to hiss down. It soaked everything in seconds, but no one cared. They were concerned with other things.

"Naruto please," Gohan whispered, tears burning hot in his eyes, spilling down his cheeks to mingle with the rain. "This isn't funny anymore. Get up!"

There was no answer.

"No!" Gohan moaned, pressing his hands to his eyes. "No! Not again! This can't happen again!" He looked up at the weeping clouds above him. "I promised myself I wouldn't let it happen! I promised! I swore I wouldn't let anyone hurt my precious people."

"You can't protect everyone," Jiraiya answered, putting a soothing hand on the other's shoulder. "People die. Naruto knew the risks of being a shinobi."

Gohan didn't answer. Instead he began to shake, but Jiraiya didn't know if it was with anger or sorrow.

"Our mission is complete," Orochimaru said to Kabuto.

Gohan stiffened, his back going rigid. He shook off Jiraiya's hand and stood, glaring death at Orochimaru. It was lucky looks couldn't kill. If they could, Orochimaru would've died right then. "Your mission?" Gohan repeated, voice dangerous. Deadly. Killing intent was beginning to pound off him in crushing waves. "What mission?"

"Naruto-kun has been our objective this entire time," Orochimaru replied frankly. "Thank you for bringing him here, Gohan-kun. Without your cooperation, we would've had a much harder time finding him."

Rage like Gohan hadn't felt in a long time erupted within him, a hot rage that brought him to boiling in seconds. An anguished roar of rage tore itself from his throat, reverberating off the empty expanse of boulders and rolling hills. The anger, self-hatred, and the loathing of Orochimaru all sat in his stomach like a ball of white-hot magma as he transformed in a blaze of light, his aura roaring higher than ever.

"This again?" Orochimaru asked with a snicker. "Surely you jest, Gohan-kun. You weren't able to do me any lasting harm in this next form of yours."

"Shut up," Gohan growled. But inside he knew that Orochimaru was right. Then he thought about it. No. He was wrong. Dead wrong. There was one more way to overpower Orochimaru. The Cursed Seal in Gohan's neck seared like fire, but the saiyan welcomed the pain, used it to reinforce the burning emotions he was experiencing right now. It was a seal the contained Orochimaru's own power. Gohan's lips curled up in a cruel smile. He would kill Orochimaru with his own power.

The Fuuja Houin around the three raindrops vanished as if it had never been there. Gohan threw himself open wide to the power, allowing it suffuse him. New strength raced through him like a drug, waking him up. The world's colors were suddenly more vibrant, the details crystal-clear, the movement of everything and everyone slowed to inhuman crawls.

"Gohan no!" Jiraiya shouted when he saw the marks race over Gohan's body.

"Shut up," Gohan told him flatly.

Orochimaru began to laugh. "Using my own seal against me? You have guts, Gohan-kun, but it will do you no good. The Cursed Seal was created by me. It was administered by me. Do you really think that it will disobey its true master? The second you try to attack me, its power will flee you and you'll be nothing again."

Gohan didn't answer, but Orochimaru knew that the boy saw the truth.

"And you would corrode your own body and soul with this dark power for one boy? I've underestimated you, Gohan-kun. You're nothing but an irrational little boy. You were irrational in bringing Naruto-kun here. You were irrational in believing that my own Cursed Seal would defy me." Orochimaru grinned horribly. "And you were most certainly irrational when you thought you could save Naruto-kun."

Gohan stiffened at the words and suddenly his mind was back at the horror of the Cell Games as Cell, the inhuman android killing machine, smashed 16's head underfoot.

"_Yet another fighter you could've saved."_

A new yell of anguish erupted from Gohan and with it came power as the Cursed Seal drew out more and more of his ki.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Gohan wailed. His aura flared brighter and wider. Bioelectricity began to peel off him in waves, growing in intensity until each flash was brighter than lightning, each bolt accompanied by a clap of thunder. The ground around him shattered, pulled up against gravity, soaring away into the sky like missiles. The world was all blinding golden light and flashing lightning.

Everyone was knocked off their feet as the very earth beneath them began to tremble as if the planet itself was quaking in fear of Gohan's might. Ever higher his power soared, past whatever anyone had felt from him yet…and it kept going, shooting higher and higher.

* * *

On the other side of the country, the Sandaime stood in his office, thinking of the events of the last month and mourning his age, not for the first time, when the cup of tea on his desk began to rattle. It danced faster and faster on the wood surface until it tipped over and spilled its contents before rolling off the desk and shattering.

The entire office began to shake as the ground began to rumble, as if it was a monster awakening from a slumber of an indeterminable time. The venerable Hokage tripped and fell as the boards under his feet bucked like a bronco, spilling chairs, papers, and potted plants all over the place. Sarutobi stood up, wondering just what in the hell was going on, then threw up an arm to shield his eyes as the windows of his office cracked and blew inwards. Rickety buildings in town that had yet to be demolished crumbled like houses of cards, throwing debris everywhere. People ran through the streets screaming, looking for any cover they could find as bookshelves fell over, plates in homes spilled out of their cabinets and shattered on the floor and windows and streetlights blew out all over the place with loud pops. A wind, visible by the movement in the trees and the bending of the grass, roared over the town, stripping entire rooftops of their shingles in seconds before moving on.

A golden glow spread from one end of the horizon to the other and Sarutobi suddenly realized what was going.

"Gohan-kun!" He breathed as he began to feel the boy's intense spirit from all the way out here, even as far away as he was. "I don't believe it! For me to be able to feel him all the way in Konoha! What is it that he's done?" The answer to that question was quickly obvious to the venerable old leader. "The seal! The second seal is breaking!"

* * *

In the center of the maelstrom, Gohan's anguished cried reached a higher pitch, the ground shaking so violently that only chakra kept Kabuto, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru on their feet. Winds were whipping everywhere, painful in their intensity, terrible in their power.

The kanji for the number two appeared on Gohan's chest and began to flare with light, shining like the sun, even in the blinding light already present.

"Gohan stop!" Jiraiya shouted. But he was drowned out by the cacophony of Gohan's rage and it sounded like he'd whispered even when he'd shouted at the top of his lungs. "You'll get knocked out!"

Gohan was barely visible in the center of the conflagration of power, a shadow with bright white marks all over his body. Gohan felt like he was on fire, burning up from the inside out. He felt the pain of the Cursed Seal, felt the pain of the dimensional seal that had been placed on him months ago when he'd arrived in this world. He felt the terrible burning of the two seals interacting. He felt the pain that came from failure to protect Naruto, and felt the pain of loss. Loss of Naruto, and the loss of his father.

But the mostly what he felt was the indescribable rage that was boiling within him. His own screaming voice was deaf in his ears. To his eyes, the bright gold and white light he was throwing everywhere was nothing but crimson rage. He felt the pain of the dimensional barrier trying to rebuff him, deny him, but he pressed forward, determined to drive Orochimaru into Hell with every ounce of power he possessed! He threw back his head and howled with renewed rage.

The raindrops of the Cursed Seal shone brilliant white against his shadow, flaring bright white like the number two on his chest. The number interacted with the markings and both flared out. The concussion knocked everyone to the ground. Shizune, who'd crawled to Naruto's side to treat him when Tsunade wouldn't, grabbed blindly and managed to keep the boy's body from flying away and probably get injured beyond repair.

Everyone was pelted with flying rocks and debris.

For an eternity it seemed to last, a timeless time.

The light suddenly compressed, crackling and sparking madly before it shot into the sky and into the concealing thunderclouds overhead. It shrieked as it climbed, like a banshee was climbing from the depths of Hell. When the shrieking ball of energy was out of sight, the silence was almost eerie. Only ravaged ground remained where Gohan had once stood. Abruptly, a gold spear of light shot from inside the heart of the thunderstorm and streaked straight down, retracing the path that the mass of energy had followed almost exactly. It smashed to earth with enough force to make the very foundations of Tanzaku castle tremble. A few tiles on the venerable castle's roof slid of and rained down on the shrieking tourists. A mote of gold light glowed like a coal from the heart of the sun itself then popped out with a weird ringing noise.

It was Gohan.

There were stunned looks on every conscious face present.

Gohan had changed again. The power rolling off him was unbelievable. It was almost tangible, a power so great that you could taste it in the air. His aura was brighter and sat farther out from his skin. No longer did it hug him like a flame. There as a very substantial gap between his flesh and the flames of gold. Electricity crackled and sparked all around him. He was much more solid now and almost…taller somehow. The most substantial change was in his hair and demeanor.

Until now, Gohan's hair had turned gold, but hadn't changed much beyond his usual mop top. Now every spike stood straight up at attention, except for one bang that swept across his face. The effect should've been comical. He should've looked ridiculous, with his hair standing up all over the place. The effect was the exact opposite. He didn't look funny or weird. If anything, the inhuman power rolling off him and the crushing waves of killing intent in the air made it seem even more intimidating than his previous transformation.

His demeanor was different as well. Kabuto had fought Gohan before, when he'd done his little transformation and he'd managed to best him by disabling him. But there had been something else that contributed to it. It was Gohan's gentle nature. Gohan's gentle nature, even in the powerful and deadly form of a Super Saiyan, had limited him. His reluctance to kill, reluctance to hurt someone, had stayed his fist, stopped him from unleashing all hell on his enemies.

Kabuto could tell by his carry and the cold ire in his eyes that Gohan-kun wouldn't be holding back here. Every punch he threw during this battle would be to kill, to hurt, and to make blood fly and bones shatter. He would unleash the frightening power of a Super Saiyan on them all. How much more frightened would Kabuto have been if he'd known that this was Gohan at his peak? This wasn't a simple powering up. Saying that it was a simple power up would be like comparing the small flame of a match to the fury of the sun.

This was the power that Gohan had borne within him all his life, the power that only came out when he was driven into a corner or made exceptionally angry. Cell and Bojack had both made the mistake of drawing out this particular form and each had paid dearly for it, dying at the hands of the young teenager that had stood up to them. Goku had seen his son's dormant power and worked to draw it out.

And Gohan had just released it once more, this time in a world not his own, in a place that shouldn't have even known he existed.

Super Saiyan 2 had returned.

* * *

And I think we'll end it there ^_^. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter so far. Congrats to TobiGB, who called this particular scene way back when in something like Chapter 28. I was really impressed by that. Like the first transformation to Super Saiyan, I've had this particular chapter written out in my head almost since the beginning. I couldn't wait to write it and I hope I did it justice! Look forward to next chapter!

~WingedFreedom622

**Glossary**

**Ninpou: Dokugiri no Jutsu (Ninja Art, Poison Mist Technique): **The user makes special compounds out of their chakra inside their body and exhales it. What comes out is a big cloud of purple smog that can kill someone just by inhaling the slightest whiff of it.**  
**


	33. Enraged

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

* * *

"Interesting," Orochimaru purred as he beheld the new Gohan. "Most interesting. I knew that you were powerful, Gohan-kun, but I had no idea you packed this much away into that youthful body of yours." His gold eyes glittered greedily. "Perhaps I should make you my next body instead of Sasuke-kun?"

"I'll never join you," Gohan growled. "I'm going to kill you here and now. You'll never threaten anyone again. I've fought people like you. Words won't reach you." The electricity racing over him began to buzz with more insistence. "I'm through talking."

Orochimaru and Kabuto expected Gohan to flash forward and go on the offensive. They expected a massive blast of ki. They expected some grandiose pronouncement of challenge and defiance before the fight could really begin in earnest. Instead, Gohan did something utterly unexpected.

He began walking towards them. He didn't fly, he didn't skim like he tended to do, to free up his feet, he walked, like he was out for a nice stroll in the park, though the deadly mask of seriousness on his face was completely at odds with the serene way he approached the two missing-nin. For Gohan, it was all he could do to _not_ do all the things Kabuto and Orochimaru expected him to. He was itching to fight, desperately holding on to his control with a slim leash. It was like a toddler trying to hold back a Great Dane. At any second, he would slip and lose himself to the boiling anger ripping through him.

Kabuto and Orochimaru acted together.

"Seneijashu!" Orochimaru cackled, throwing his arms out. Snakes whipped from inside his sleeves, extending out, impossibly far, crossing the distance to Gohan in seconds. They coiled around his wrists and feet and pulled his limbs out, leaving Gohan helpless. At the same time, Kabuto was dashing forward, scalpels at the ready, fully prepared to either cut the veins leading into Gohan's heart or cut the nerves again, whichever came first.

Gohan wrenched his arms hard. Orochimaru felt himself begin to lift, but dug his feet in and anchored with chakra. Gohan wrenched again and this time the snakes holding his arms burst, tearing like string, spilling blood and fluids all over the ground. Kabuto was on him, stabbing with his left, but Gohan leaned to the side, the attack sailing harmlessly past. Kabuto stabbed again, this time Gohan evaded by bending at the knees and leaning straight back. Kabuto withdrew slightly and that opening was all the Super Saiyan needed. He snapped up, impossibly fast, and drove his fist into Kabuto's face.

Kabuto felt like the moon had come down from the sky and hit him. He felt the bridge of his nose snap, along with a little of the cheekbone to either side, and he was vaguely aware of flying. He smashed into the earth and ripped a furrow in the soil right to Orochimaru's feet. He was dazed, looking at the sky with bleary and unfocused eyes.

His hirai-ate, and the remains of his glasses, clattered as they landed harmlessly at Gohan's feet. The boy freed himself from the snakes around his legs by bending over and squeezing each serpent until it hissed and choked from lack of air and released him by reflex. Gohan looked at the snakes with contempt as they squirmed then he squeezed again. The serpents exploded in twin fountains of blood.

"My turn," he said simply, holding out a hand. Ki swirled to life. Orochimaru frowned as he leaped back, putting distance between him and the oncoming attack. Gohan fired the attack. The simple blast shot out, moving much faster than anything Orochimaru had seen from the boy previously. The pressure of the air that the speeding energy shunted aside was enough to raise a rooster tail of earth on either side, and a little ahead of, the strike.

The ki blast exploded, shaking the earth beneath everyone's feet like a drum. A little ways away, Tanzaku castle rumbled and people fled screaming as walls and beams cracked and more terra cotta tiles fell from the roof. When the smoke cleared, Orochimaru was laying, battered and broken on the ground, his skin hissing from being cooked like a slab of beef in the oven.

Orochimaru's chest caved in, turning to dust as it did. A wind swept the courtyard and the snake's body dissolved. It hadn't been Orochimaru at all. He'd simply shed his skin, like snake would, and relocated himself. Gohan turned and glared up at Manda. The two summons had been fighting on their own ever since Orochimaru had attacked Naruto, but when Gohan had transformed, that had come to a complete stop. Orochimaru stood on Manda's head. Words were exchanged, then the purple monstrosity barreled forwards, with speed that belied his bulk, looming over Gohan as he reared up, about to slam his entire serpentine body down on the little whelp below him.

Manda slammed to earth hard enough to make the entire city of Tanzaku rock, sending panicked throngs, already scared and running because of Gohan, into an almost animalistic stampede. Orochimaru cackled. Gohan had glared up at the descending snake right up until Manda had come down on top of him. "And that would be the end of Gohan-kun," Orochimaru said with a grin. "Such a shame too. I really would've loved to have had for a host and…"

Manda began to rise underneath Orochimaru's feet and it was clear from the way Manda's muscles were contorting, the snake wasn't responsible. There was a blast of light from underneath the massive serpent's chin as Gohan poured ki into his muscles, enhancing them, allowing them to force Manda up off of the ground. The ground around his feet crackled, groaned in protest it seemed, then shattered under his heel from the pressures Gohan was exerting. With one final surge, Gohan shoved up to his full height and drove his fist into Manda's chin, rocking the purple anaconda back, his head flailing wildly. Orochimaru leaped clear right as Manda landed and rolled over the ground before getting his feet under him and vaulting to his feet.

Gohan regarded Manda for a moment or two then focused his angry gaze on Orochimaru, who, Gohan was pleased to see, didn't look so supremely confident anymore. He held out one hand and ki swirled to life, buzzing dangerously. The ground rumbled beneath Gohan's feet and he looked down, surprised, as the earth beneath him shattered and Manda's tail shot out from the haze and flying rock, smashing into the teen's relatively small body and throwing him through the sky, tumbling head over heels.

He stopped in a pulse of power that, despite Gohan being hundreds of feet above the ground, still shattered the rock underneath him. A pair of massive jaws loomed around Gohan. Manda had lunged up and opened his mouth as wide as it could go. Gohan had forgotten just how wide a snake's mouth could open and that had been a normal snake's never mind one the size of Manda.

The cavernous mouth slammed shut with a dull rumble. The serpent licked his lips with his forked tongue. "Not even enough for an appetizer," the towering summon grumbled as he turned his attention back to Gamabunta, who in turn eyed his serpentine opponent impassively.

A beam of blue-white light erupted from the roof of Manda's mouth and keeping going, punching into the clouds and dividing them for a second or two as the blast continued on before fading out. "Ghaaaaaaaaaaah!" Manda shrieked as a gold streak shot out of the hole. "Damn you!"

Gohan simply held out a hand.

A pressure wave slammed Manda's great length to the ground in a cloud of dust. Manda screamed as the impact aggravated the new skylight in his mouth, cursing Gohan and vowing to eat Orochimaru should the Sannin ever summon him again, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Gamabunta laughed uproariously, more than happy with Manda's humiliation and wishing he himself had been able to dish out the defeat. He too vanished in a blast of smoke. The haze concealed Gohan from Orochimaru's gaze.

The Super Saiyan shot from the cloud like a bat out of hell, swooping low over the ground, his slipstream throwing a tall cloud of loose soil into the air behind him, like a wake from a speedboat. Orochimaru just managed to get his guard into place before Gohan's fist was shooting for his stomach, meeting the Sannin's overlapping hands.

Orochimaru's back bowed outwards as the force ripped through him, lifting him off his feet. Before he could fly away, however, his body lost all its human properties and coiled around Gohan like a constrictor would with its pray. Worry snuck into Gohan's face for only a second, but Orochimaru saw it and began to tighten his grip. Gohan gagged and coughed as his windpipe was slowly crushed beneath the Sannin's sinuous clutch.

"You should've become my host, Gohan-kun," Orochimaru said with a small laugh. "It would've spared you so much pain and suffering."

"Go…to…" Gohan choked out, a bright light forming in his hand, which somehow he'd managed to press up against Orochimaru's stomach. He'd put his hand behind his back and flipped his palm out right before Orochimaru had totally sealed his grip. "Go…to…HELL!"

Orochimaru screamed in pain as he was blown in half by the blast. Gohan coughed violently as his airflow suddenly was returned to him. He stood and looked at the two halves of his enemy on the ground around him, like a deflated inner tube. He spat on the body. "Bastard," Gohan snarled. He started walking away but didn't get more than a few paces before a noise behind him made him turn around.

The sight was enough to make a normal person retch. Snakes were crawling all over the ground, like a million worms, but bigger, and they were pulling the two severed halves of the Sannin together. As the tattered pieces met, the horrific injuries that Gohan had inflicted sealed and healed. Orochimaru still wasn't completely whole when he stood back up. His torso was facing the wrong way. Gohan was about to taunt the Sannin about it when his body shifted again and his torso turned back around with a wet slopping noise until it was facing forward again. Orochimaru smirked. He bent over low. "Mandara no Jin!" Thousands of snakes poured from Orochimaru's mouth, coating the ground like a living and shifting mat. They crawled towards Gohan at an unnatural pace. Had Gohan been in a different state of mind, he would've been unnerved at the sight, but as it was, he only watched the progress of the reptiles with contempt. That is until the front few hundred opened their mouths and each one sprouted a blade that looked oddly like the Kusanagi's. "I'm really starting to hate snakes," Gohan said dryly as the lead wave lunged at him. Gohan exploded into motion.

He flipped, fazed, kicked, and punched through his way through the first wave. The snakes only scored a few small hits before they had to move on. A shadow fell over the enraged Super Saiyan. He looked up, jade eyes wide with alarm. All the rest of the wave of snakes had reared up and filled the sky above him. A sword blade protruded from each mouth.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Gohan muttered right before the wave descended on him. Orochimaru had been standing back with his arms crossed when he saw the golden light begin to pierce the mound of snakes. He smirked and bit his thumb, molding a fast series of hand seals.

"Masenko!"

"Kuchiyose! Rashoumon!"

The protective gates burst up from the ground. The Masenko slammed right into the first one. A hollowing ring echoed over the plains, but the gate didn't give way. Orochimaru was about to say something derisive when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Ka….me….ha….me…"

The Sannin whirled, startled, and saw Gohan behind him, a bright ball of blue-white ki glowing brightly in his cupped hands. "HAAAA!"

* * *

Jiraiya and Shizune stumbled when the blast flashed from behind the grinning gates of the Rashoumon and the explosion rocked the courtyard. Two plumes burst from the top of the cloud. They landed. On the left was Gohan and on the right was his enemy.

"Unbelievable," Shizune whispered as the two charged at each other and met with a dull thud behind the Rashoumon. From there, they could hear the sharp claps of thunder from blows meeting each other and muscle slapping against bone. "Gohan's better than Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "No. He's not better than Orochimaru."

"He's not? But how? I mean, Orochimaru's actually trying!"

"True. But trying and being pushed back are two different things. Right now Orochimaru and Gohan are on even ground. Gohan can batter Orochimaru all he wants and that bastard will just bend his body back into place. Orochimaru can't do any major damage to Gohan either. He's already proven he can dodge some of Orochimaru's better techniques without too much of a problem, and if he does get hit, he can keep the damage superficial. It's a stalemate."

Shizune looked startled at the pronouncement but she quickly returned her attention to Naruto. "Dammit! I can't stabilize him!" She pressed her glowing hands more tightly to Naruto's wound.

"Is he alive?"

"Barely. When he started to turn because of your warning, it brought his heart out of the way, so he wasn't killed instantly, but his lung to took the hit. The blade skipped off a rib and made the internal wound just a bit longer."

Jiraiya's voice was cautious when he spoke. "Can you…save him?"

"I…I don't know," Shizune replied, even as she redoubled her efforts to save the bloodied genin next to her. "I just don't know."

"You have to, Shizune," Jiraiya said softly. "Because if Tsunade won't do it, you're the only one who can."

Tsunade flinched at Jiraiya's tone. What she heard in his voice unlike anything he'd used with her before. He'd been angry with her, happy with her, sad with her, and a whole plethora of other emotions. They'd raged and beat each other, sometimes when it was deserved, mostly when it wasn't. All the time, though, they'd remained friends, even if they weren't currently acting like it. But now, Jiraiya had changed, shown her another emotion, this time directed _at_ her. It was disappointment. Jiraiya was disappointed with her.

That more than anything was a crushing blow to the third member of the Sannin. To know that her best and one of her only remaining friends in this world was disappointed in her and was turning to her apprentice for help was a heavy and unpleasant weight to bear. Tsunade glanced at her blood-splattered arms, which were speckled from when Naruto had coughed on her before keeling over. Again she saw Nawaki and Dan's mutilated bodies flash before her eyes. Again the familiar queasy feeling rose in her chest and she felt bile being to rise. Another had died.

And she was helpless to stop it, just as she always had been.

'It doesn't matter what I do,' Tsunade thought to herself. 'It'll never be enough.'

"_Now that isn't right and you know it."_

Tsunade looked up, shocked, as Dan and Nawaki swam into focus in front of her.

Nawaki huffed and didn't look at her. _"Jeeze,"_ He said. _"When did you get so weak?"_

"_I'm not weak!"_ Tsunade yelled right back. She quieted and glanced away. _"I'm just sick of it is all. I'm sick of this shinobi stuff. I don't want to do it anymore."_

Dan's ghost smiled at her, just as gently as she remembered from when they had spent nights alone together. _"That's not the Tsunade I know," _he said. _"You're strong. One of the best the Leaf has ever produced. You're not sick of being a shinobi. You've just had your confidence taken."_

"_I just can't lose anyone else again."_

"_But you will. People die, Tsunade," _Dan said. _"There's nothing you can do to fight that. But, the way I see it is, if you love them, and cherish the time you had together with them, then it will be okay."_ He took her hands in his. _"Tsunade, listen. Our death wasn't your fault. And it wasn't the necklace's either," _he added quickly when her mouth opened.

"_Damn straight!" _Nawaki added. He folded his hands behind his head and looked away. Tsunade blinked, startled. For a split second, Nawaki had become Naruto. _"Grandpa's necklace wouldn't kill his grandkid and someone that his granddaughter loved!"_

"_He's right," _Dan said with a nod.

"_I'm not strong enough," _Tsunade mumbled. _"I can't take this anymore. I'm not strong enough to bear it all!"_

"_Then don't!" _Nawaki said angrily.

"_Rely on your friends in times of great strife," _Dan said, kneeling and putting both hands on her shoulders, so she had to look him in the eye. _"Let them share the burden."_

"_But who?"_

Dan smiled as he looked at Shizune and Jiraiya. _"You've got my niece and your teammate for starters and," _here he glanced at Naruto's grayed-out and unconscious form. _"I think he'll be a good one too."_ The two most important people in Tsunade's life began to fade, like they were moving on. _"Live on, Tsunade."_

"_Dan! Nawaki!"_

"_Live on, Tsunade," _Dan repeated. _"Live a happy life. Die contented. And when you get to Heaven, look for us."_

"_We'll be waiting!" _Nawaki added with a grin.

Tsunade gasped as she was abruptly aware of her surroundings again. The world was just as she had left it. Wet, rainy, and fraught with battle. In front of her lay Naruto, his blood running over the grass as Shizune desperately tried to staunch the flow. Tsunade blinked. The blood was just blood to her now. For some reason, her talk with Dan, whether real or imagined, had taken some invisible weight from her shoulders. For the first time in years, Tsunade didn't see only the bleakness of the world around her. She saw the hope and promise that Jiraiya saw. She saw the good that Shizune saw. And she saw that the world really was a place for dreams, and dreams were to be lived for. For the longest time, Tsunade had had no dreams, no reason for living. She had only lived for the moment. Did she have a dream now?

Yes, she realized, she did.

Naruto. Somehow, the rambunctious, impulsive, rude, and foul-mouthed boy had grown on her. Unbeknownst to everyone else present, Tsunade had been keeping an eye on Naruto while he'd worked to master Rasengan. She told herself that it was to see if she was going to lose her bet or not, but now she saw the truth. Naruto had reminded her of her brother and that, in turn, had brought up all the memories of happier times, when she'd used to watch her brother train in much the same way.

Naruto and Nawaki.

Nawaki and Naruto.

The two were different in so many ways, but Nawaki was precious to Tsunade, holding a very dear spot in her heart. And perhaps Naruto would be too, given time. But Naruto needed to live to do that and to live he needed medical treatment. Treatment that Shizune couldn't give him now. Naruto needed Tsunade.

Tsunade didn't even realize what she was doing. Before she knew it, she'd shouldered Shizune aside and had folded a long-disused series of hand seals, but they came back to her like she'd used them yesterday. So too did the chakra control and what she had to do to save Naruto.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, looking surprised at the turn of events. "What're you doing?"

"What's it look like?" The Slug Princess answered sharply as her hands moved to and fro over Naruto's wound. Before Jiraiya and Shizune's eyes, the bleeding stopped totally and the wound began to close.

"But the blood…"

"Is just blood. It can't hurt me."

Shizune and Jiraiya traded startled glances and Jiraiya shrugged. In no time at all, a bit of color had returned to Naruto's deathly pale cheeks and his breathing was deeper. Tsunade sat back and wiped her brow. "There. I think he's out of the worst of it. Shizune, you can take it from here."

"What about you, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked.

She stood up and glared at the battle that still raged between Gohan and Orochimaru. "I'm going to beat the shit out of Orochimaru for what he's done."

"But Gohan-kun said not to interfere," Shizune protested.

"He can kiss my ass," Tsunade snapped. "Orochimaru dared to desecrate Dan and Nawaki's memory by saying he would bring them back to life with some jutsu. I'm not going to let him get away with that!"

"Tsunade," Jiraiya said with a smile.

She spun on him. "What! Make it fast!"

The sage gave her a thumbs up. "Go get him!"

Tsunade nodded and charged for the towering Rashoumon.

* * *

Gohan grunted as he took a blow on his arm, shoved the attack away with the block, then lunged for Orochimaru, throwing punches that made the air crack. Orochimaru was backpedaling, keeping distance between himself and the onrushing Super Saiyan. Gohan's hard jade eyes threw daggers at the Sannin's amber ones.

The teen's fist found and opening, slipped through and bashed the traitorous shinobi in the jaw. Orochimaru's head whipped around, spittle and blood flying, his jaw searing with liquid fire as the bone dislocated. He managed to keep the presence of mind to duck a slashing ridge hand. The ground wasn't so fortunate, splitting like boy had swung a sword.

Orochimaru lashed out, aiming to return the abuse he'd just been dealt. His strikes were liquid, flowing from one to the next, punch flowing to kick, flowing to punch, to another punch, another kick, and on and on it went. Gohan was either blocking or one step ahead the entire time. Part of that was due to his enhancement as an Ascended Super Saiyan, but the other part of that was his slim and small frame, which could naturally move quicker than Orochimaru's lankier stature.

The snake lunged with a spear hand that would've punched through the chest of a normal individual. Gohan's own hand intercepted and grabbed right at the base of the shinobi's fingers. The bones in the pale man's hand ground together but Gohan wasn't aiming for that. He twisted and spun, bending Orochimaru's wrist in the opposite direction it was supposed to go. The other combatant reacted with lighting reflexes, launching his body into a roll that kept his arm in line with his wrist, keeping it from breaking. Gohan still had his grip on Orochimaru's wrist when the Sannin opened his mouth wide and lashed out with his tongue.

It began to curl around Gohan's neck, aiming to choke out the warrior. Gohan fazed out right before the hold was finished, reappearing above the Sannin's head with his fists clasped behind his head. He let out a savage yell as his fists came forward and smashed down. Orochimaru lunged forward and rolled. The ground underneath him leaped and buckled as fragments of shattered rock flew everywhere.

The deadly dance the two were locked in had taken them out from behind the Rashoumon and then brought them right back. The ground began to shudder again, but neither fighter was causing it. A shadow fell over Orochimaru as the wan light suddenly cut out. He looked up, puzzled.

"WHAT!"

The Rashoumon was tipping over, but it was clear from Gohan's face that he wasn't responsible. There was an expression that could be called shocked anger on his face, his mouth slightly open as he raised an eyebrow and glared up at the tipping gate.

* * *

Tsunade dredged up more chakra from within herself and pushed harder, a vein bulging in her forehead from the exertion, her muscles, deceptively effeminate, swelling as well. She wasn't swelling up like a gorilla, like Gohan or Jiraiya would've if they'd tried the same stunt, but it served as a reminder of just why Tsunade was feared as one of the strongest kunoichi Konohagakure had ever seen, literally.

The gate smashed to earth, the lanterns that hung from its lintel jangling like a brass band of toddlers, the doors flopping open then closed when they hit, making an even louder cacophony that was underscored and amplified by the rumble of buckling earth.

Tsunade winced as she felt the strain in her shoulders. Sometimes she forgot just how old she really was. After all, she saw her thirty/forty-something year old self in the mirror every day. It made it easier to forget sometimes. "Should've stretched more," she muttered as she looked around for Orochimaru, knowing that this little trick wasn't enough to stop or kill him. Sure enough, the ground just outside the doorpost of the gate buckled and a white hand shot out and pulled the rest of the Sannin free. Orochimaru looked surprised at the turn of events.

"Tsunade-hime," he said warily, eyeing her with curiosity. "I didn't expect to see you in battle today."

Tsunade opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Gohan. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" The Super Saiyan demanded angrily. "I thought I said I didn't want anyone interfering!"

"Shove it," Tsunade snipped right back, neither Gohan nor the Slug Princess taking their eyes from Orochimaru. They both knew better than that. "I didn't come here to argue with you. I'm here to kill Orochimaru, just like you, so how about we put all the posturing and snappy comebacks on the back burner and just kill him. If you want to fight me for interfering, do _after_, not before."

Gohan's teeth ground before he snorted. "Do what you want," he said, "but don't get in my way."

"Same to you," Tsunade shot back.

"Please, why can't we all get along?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk, but inside he was less than thrilled. Kabuto had been brought down by one punch by Gohan-kun. That meant that, effectively, Gohan was now on even terms with the Sannin, something that had been validated by the battle with the boy. He'd stayed with Orochimaru easily, almost as easily as Jiraiya or Tsunade themselves could. His attacks were deadly, his conviction even more so. Truly this was a complete transformation, physically and psychologically. And then there was Tsunade. The granddaughter of the Shodai had apparently gotten over her hemophobia and her reluctance to fight and now it was, for the second time since the failed assassination of the Sandaime, two-on-one. Orochimaru's gaze flicked to Kabuto, who was stirring but would be less than worthless in this battle.

Orochimaru's lip curled in a snarl then as he realized he would have to be _very_ careful here, otherwise it would spell the end of him, once and for all. He watched Gohan and Tsunade as best he could, all the while plotting how he could kill one (since two would be almost impossible) and escape or just escape, Kabuto be damned. The only thing he had going for him was that Gohan seemed less than thrilled about Tsunade's interruption and they didn't seem to want to work together, a flaw he could exploit.

Tsunade and Gohan moved at the same time, both fighters vanishing like they'd never been there. Orochimaru caught only a blur of movement before Gohan's heel was flying at his face, intent on bashing his nose in. A whisper of noise from behind the Sannin told him that his old teammate had much the same idea, except she'd gone from behind and low, as opposed to high and up front. Orochimaru was already in motion, even as these observations were crossing his mind. His right arm pushed Gohan's foot high as his other hand pushed Tsunade's leg lower and away. The differences in force spun him in the air, then it was gone and the three were back to their brief standoff.

Orochimaru's anger bubbled as he realized that even though Tsunade and Gohan didn't want to work together, that wouldn't stop them from acting and reacting to what the other was doing, which meant that Orochimaru was now at a severe disadvantage. Orochimaru made the first move this time, exploding into motion, charging right at Gohan as a volley of shuriken left his hands, speeding for Tsunade, which he followed up with a Kage Bunshin that went on the attack as soon as it was created.

Gohan turned to the side as he let Orochimaru's right straight slide past him. Even as he was doing that, he was dipping low, right arm shooting out to bar Orochimaru's legs as his left grabbed the Sannin's sleeve and pulled. The pale ninja stumbled then grunted as Gohan's back slammed into his chest. Gohan heaved with all his might and threw Orochimaru through the air like he weighed nothing. He fazed out and appeared in Orochimaru's flight back.

Gohan let loose a warcry as he drew back to abuse another piece of Orochimaru's hide. When Jiraiya was retelling the battle later at the various pubs and bars in Konoha, he would say that to him, he saw Orochimaru go flying, a golden flame appeared above the tumbling ninja then when Gohan hit him, Orochimaru would change direction in mid-air, going from flying at a steep angle to slamming into the ground at a right angle.

The ground rumbled again, throwing a thick, choking, black cloud of dust over the area as he drove both feet into Orochimaru's back. Gohan glared down at the screaming Sannin below him and picked him up by the throat. Orochimaru looked worse for wear now. His clothing was torn, he was bleeding, and there were dark blue and black bruises blooming on his pale hide. Gohan's aura flared into being again, bringing with it the buzz of bioelectricity as his one-handed grip on Orochimaru's windpipe tightened viciously.

Orochimaru gagged and gurgled, helpless in the immovable steel grip. "Please," he managed to choke out around the vice on neck. "H-H-Have…m-m…mercy."

* * *

Well that's it for now kiddies. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. I think next chapter will end it for the battle and we can move on to bringing this story to its conclusion and beginning on the sequel, entitled Gohan's Return.

~WingedFreedom622

**Glossary**

**Seneijashu (Striking Shadow Snakes): **Snakes come out of Orochimaru's sleeves and bite/strangle/kill his enemy.

**Mandara no Jin (Myriad Snake Net Formation): **If you've seen 4-tailed Naruto's battle with Orochimaru in Shippuden, then you've seen this jutsu. Orochimaru spits out a bunch of snakes, each of which is capable of sprouting a blade from its mouth. Zetsu was right! What is with Orochimaru and barfing stuff up!


	34. Absolution

Disclaimer: Own nothing. If I did, I would be one rich SOB

* * *

"Mercy?" Gohan asked silkily. He whirled and grabbed Orochimaru with his other hand as the wood log in his occupied fist shattered. Orochimaru looked shocked but soon was gurgling just as effectively as his clone had been. "You want mercy?" The boy's aura flared out wider in response to his emotions as the killing intent became almost too much to take. "If you want mercy, then I suggest you be sincere about it, bastard. But did you show mercy to Naruto? Huh? Answer me!"

Orochimaru clawed at the deceptively slight hand that had him by the throat. Though he pushed and pulled with all his considerable might, Orochimaru was unable to break the adrenalin and anger-fueled grip of Son Gohan. Gohan blasted a fist into the Sannin's face, rocking his head back, blood spraying from his nose and mouth. "ANSWER ME!"

Orochimaru spluttered something.

"I can't hear you," Gohan snarled.

The pale man's hand fell limply at his side.

Orochimaru leered at his assailant. "Kiss your power good-bye brat!" His recently freed hand came forward and smashed into Gohan's neck, where the Cursed Seal was. The Sannin forced his chakra into his hand then pushed it into Gohan's body.

Orochimaru screamed as his hand was blown right off Gohan's body in a huge backlash of power. His right hand was bathed in the same electric and gold aura that danced over Gohan's teenage form even then, but unlike Gohan, who was unaffected by his overwhelming ki, Orochimaru wasn't so lucky, his hand crisping and blackening right before his eyes. The Sannin's cheeks bulged grotesquely then something sprayed from his mouth. Gohan snapped his head to one side to avoid whatever shot out. His flinty emerald eyes widened as Orochimaru deflated right in his hand. It was like he was holding a fleshy bag.

Gohan was trembling with anger but his inner gentle nature, assuaged under the rush of power that the Ascension always brought with it, managed to reassert its hold, knowing that he couldn't do anything being controlled by the anger like he'd just been. Tsunade's lips curled with faint approval as she watched the kid inhale then exhale a shaky calming breath. Gohan spun on his heel to face the pale Sannin, his eyes still full of rage, but now it was again focused and under tenuous control. Orochimaru wasn't wondering about that though. He was more concerned why his attempt to control Gohan's Cursed Seal had backfired on him.

"Why didn't the seal work?" He demanded. "Why!"

Gohan smirked, wordlessly reaching up and tugging his gi top lower to expose the patch of flesh where the Seal resided.

Or perhaps the phrase 'had once resided' would be more appropriate.

There was no sign of the three inverted raindrops on the young warrior's skin. It was as if Gohan had never even been marked in the first place. Orochimaru was stunned, even taking a step or two backwards in shock. "H-How? No one should be able to remove that mark! No one!"

Even Tsunade was gaping openly at Gohan, her face a mask of surprise.

"I should really thank you, Orochimaru," Gohan replied as he tugged his gi back into place. "After all, if it weren't for the Cursed Seal," his lip curled in a mocking half-grin as he rubbed his neck, "I would've never have reached Super Saiyan 2."

"What! What are you talking about!"

"When I came here from my dimension, I was marked by two seals," the young warrior, and scholar, explained. "We think it was to seal my power so that when I went from my dimension to this one, I didn't shock the dimensional boundaries and destroy both universes. I broke the first seal in the Forest of Death during the Chuunin Exams. Remember that?"

Orochimaru glared as he nodded reluctantly, not appreciating being reminded of that particular day. "That first seal was the easy one. The second one would be much more resilient," Gohan went on. "Or at least that's what I thought, so I've never tried breaking it until today. And that's where the Cursed Seal comes in, because it draws out my body's latent energy." He chuckled humorlessly. "Well, when that mark started pulling on my ki from 'behind' the dimensional seal, it put pressure on second seal. I guess you could think of it as a balloon being overfilled with air. So when I hit it from the front…" he trailed off, not needing to put the rest to words.

"Wait!" Orochimaru cried, not daring to believe it. "You mean you would not have been able to break this second dimensional seal…"

"If you hadn't marked me with the Cursed Seal," Gohan finished, grinning wolfishly and dangerously. "So I guess I should say thank you."

Tsunade came over laughing. "How about that, Orochimaru? You dug your own grave here today." Her face darkened as her old comrade and former friend stumbled back again, not taking the news that he had laid the groundwork for this moment with his own hand so well. "You hurt Naruto. You dared to desecrate the memory of Dan and Nawaki. I hope you realize that you're not getting out of here alive." She cracked her knuckles as Gohan rolled and popped his neck. "Ready to die?"

"I'm not dying here," he snarled venomously as he started molding hand seals. "I can't. I _won't_! Fuuton! Daitoppa!" The blast of wind that erupted from Orochimaru was strong enough to make both Tsunade and Gohan sway and stumble. They shielded their eyes and leaned into the hammering wind. The wind quit just as fast as it started, leaving both Sannin and Super Saiyan overbalanced. They had to take a moment to reorient themselves and get their balance back.

It was in that moment that Orochimaru struck.

The Kusanagi flashed in the wan sun as it tried to break through the rain and heavy thunderclouds overhead. Tsunade yelped in pain as sword impaled her through the stomach as she fell forward suddenly bleeding. Orochimaru spun away from her gracefully, pulling the blade free as he did and slashing at Gohan. Had he been just a hair faster, he probably could've done the same to Gohan, but the warrior had regained his wits by that point and had gotten his guard up. Orochimaru struck anyway.

Bloody gashes opened on Gohan's arms, legs, and face as the blade stabbed here and there, always just a split instant too fast. Gohan snarled to drown the pain, leaned as fast as he could and lunged. The Kusanagi was right next to his left ear, but Gohan's right fist was firmly burrowed in Orochimaru's abdomen. No, the teen realized as his brain caught up with his body, his fist had actually gone through the Sannin's stomach.

Orochimaru's body popped as the Kage Bunshin dispelled from the damage it had taken. Gohan was suddenly aware of an ominous presence behind him. Somehow, someway, Orochimaru had gotten behind him, rearing up to strike the young Saiyan down.

"Dammit!" Gohan grunted as he tried to turn, tried to bring his body in line to either evade or stop the blow that was already coming. But even as he turned, Gohan knew he would be only a hair too slow. Orochimaru had used every ounce of the stealth he possessed to sneak up on the young man.

"Good-bye Son Gohan!" Orochimaru cackled. "May you burn in Hell!"

"Hey," A voice interrupted. "This kid's not going anywhere."

"Huh?"

WHAM!

Something smashed into Orochimaru's face. He bounced once or twice before managing to get back to his feet and stop himself. He looked up, face a mask of shock. "Tsunade!"

Gohan was just as stunned as Orochimaru was. Hadn't he seen Tsunade get run through by the Kusanagi? Maybe she'd done a Kage Bunshin or something…he leaned around her to check the patch of grass where she'd fallen. There was a patch of red a few feet away, being washed clean by the downpour.

"But you were run through!" Gohan protested. "It was a fatal wound! How're you…"

"Still alive?" Tsunade asked with a smirk. She jabbed a finger at her forehead and Gohan had to do a double take. The purple diamond that Gohan had initially taken to be a tattoo was gone. "Sozo Saisei. It speeds mitosis and lets my cells divide at a rate that's unbelievable." She gestured to the bloody gash in her shirt, all that remained of a once-grievous wound. "When I'm like this, I'm effectively immortal."

"Immortal?" Orochimaru repeated. "Impossible!"

Tsunade's smirk widened as she beckoned him forward. "Come on and try me then," she said confidently. "You won't be killing me today."

The blade of Kusanagi shot out like a bullet, a flash of silver even to Gohan's keen eyesight. Blood sprayed from Tsunade as the edge ran her through. The ground behind her erupted as the blade hit the earth. Just as quickly as it had extended, the blade retracted. Tsunade lurched as it came free and gasped in pain. Red blood flowed from her at a rate that should've had her in a grave in seconds, but instead, the wound hissed like her skin was extraordinarily hot, the blood stopped just as fast as it started, and the wound sealed. Again all that was left was a patch of red on her green shirt and a slit where she'd been speared and that was it. There wasn't even a scar.

"No!" Orochimaru breathed. "NO! This cannot be!"

"Oh it can," Tsunade answered, wiping the small trickle of blood that had seeped down the left side of her mouth. She rolled her head and popped the bones in her neck. Gohan did something similar and cracked his knuckles. The two titans settled into fighting stances. "Shall we finish this?"

Orochimaru took a step or two backwards, looking scared. His chances for escape were starting to look pretty slim. He turned to run, not caring that he was supposed to be someone who never retreated, only knowing how to win, but the second he faced the other direction, Gohan was in front of him.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" The Ascended Saiyan asked.

"There's only two ways you're leaving here today, Orochimaru," Tsunade added as she blocked Orochimaru from behind. "One is in a body bag and the other is in a casket. Which one we use will be up to you."

"I won't be killed by scum like you," the third member of the Sannin said defiantly, but the words rang hollow even to him.

"Sure you won't," Tsunade said dryly, clearly showing that she didn't believe his bluffing for a second. She and Gohan began to advance on her old teammate. Orochimaru screamed in anger and despair before he pulled something out of his pocket, ripped off his shirt, exposing his wiry torso, then slapped whatever it was all over himself. Both Gohan and Tsunade pulled their finishing blows short, knowing explosive tags when they saw them. The two bounced away and regrouped.

"Stay away from me!" Orochimaru screamed, looking as insane on the outside as he was on the inside. "Or I'll take you all with me!"

"What's up with him?" Gohan asked.

"He can't handle the fact that he's getting his ass so thoroughly kicked," Tsunade answered. "In all the time I've known him, he's never been pushed against the ropes this completely. In addition, he's been beaten to his precious immortality and, as you can see, it's not sitting well with him."

"Is that right?" Gohan replied, smiling viciously. "That's satisfying to know."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the dark satisfaction in the young man's tone, but didn't say anything about it. After all, she felt the same way too. She had a distinctly happy feeling in her gut knowing that her teammate had been so thoroughly broken, ripped off the pedestal he'd had himself on, dragged down the stairs to earth with the rest of them, then shattered like a cheap china plate.

Tsunade sighed. "I've had enough," she said, turning and walking away. "If he's this broken then he'll never be the same again. There's no point in pushing this any further." She glanced back at Gohan when he didn't follow immidiatly. "Coming kid?"

Gohan took another look at Orochimaru, who now looked downright crazy, drooling, grinning insanely, his golden eyes bulging with a madness that was almost pitiable, considering his past as one of the most conniving and sly men on the planet. Finally, Gohan too turned and began walking away from the broken Orochimaru, who was still plastered in explosive tags and giggling quietly to himself.

He and Tsunade got halfway back to where Jiraiya, Shizune, who was now tying Kabuto up in wire and rope, the silver-haired traitor obviously hopped up on some drug, and Naruto, who was awake and leaning against Jiraiya but not coherent, something that was obvious even at this distance. The two of them got to the halfway point.

Gohan whirled without warning.

"KAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Orochimaru howled in terror as the blast roared towards him, more enormous than anything Gohan had ever fired in that dimension. The tags were the first things to go.

KA-BAMBAMBOOM!

The explosions shook everything like a leaf, Tanzaku castle simply disintegrating under the onslaught. The mushroom cloud left by the explosion billowed tens of thousands of feet into the air, the shockwave from the explosion wiping out the thunderstorm that had been roaring overhead the entire battle before speeding on and flattening a good portion of Tanzaku town, turning almost an entire district into nothing but broken matchsticks and firewood.

Gohan stood up straight as dirt and rocks rained down from the heavens. In front of him stretched a huge furrow that reached all the way over the horizon. His aura, screaming at its full brightness and size, vanished, the electricity that danced over his body skittering for a few more brief seconds before it too went away.

Tsunade actually took a few steps away from Gohan as he stormed past her, his face apoplectic with rage, his eyes smoldering with more hatred than anyone his age should've been allowed. Shizune and Jiraiya looked just as shocked.

"Gohan-kun, why?" Shizune asked finally.

Goku's son didn't answer as he marched by Jiraiya, Naruto, Shizune, and the unconscious Kabuto. Then just as suddenly, he stopped and slumped. When he spoke, he sounded like he was choked up and about to cry. "Because," he said in a voice that was the closest he'd sounded to his normal self since he'd transformed to Super Saiyan 2. "I made the mistake of not finishing a battle once before. It cost my father his life." The now-familiar steel in his tone backed his next words. "I won't make that mistake ever again."

He blasted into the sky and vanished behind the massive mound of kindling Tanzaku castle had become.

"Gohan-kun!" Shizune called after him. Jiraiya's firm hand on her shoulder cut her off.

"Let him go," Jiraiya said. "It was his decision to attack Orochimaru like that. This is his path to walk and no one can tell him otherwise. And frankly," he added, looking back at the patch of earth in the furrow that was darker than the rest, "I can't really say I disprove of his choice."

Shizune frowned but she nodded, seeing Jiraiya's point.

Tsunade glanced down at her hand as her skin went from pale, smooth, and flawless to old, wrinkled, and baggy. Her mouth curled upwards in a self-depreciating smile as her Sozo Saisei ran out and took her genjutsu with it.

"So what do we do now, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked, still watching where Gohan had vanished to, clearly aware of what was going on with his teammate but choosing to ignore it for her sake.

"Isn't it obvious?" Tsunade asked from behind him. "We're going back to Konoha. I have a village I have to run."

Jiraiya looked up at the clear skies above him. "Then what are we waiting for?" He asked. "Let's get going!"

The group started down the hill towards Tanzaku.

* * *

Across the dimensions, Bulma shouted as her dimensional portal, now completely repaired and brought back online, overloaded once more. At least this time she didn't have to blow the connections again, but the fact remained that this was the first time she'd tried to open the portal and bring Gohan back to the world he belonged to but for some inexplicable reason, the portal just wasn't working. She'd tried every variation of her initial calculations she could think of but to no avail. Gohan remained firmly in whatever dimension he'd been transported to in that accident so many months ago.

At least Chichi had quit hovering over the young genius like some madwoman.

Bulma wiped at the grease that was stubbornly smudged across her forehead and only succeeded in smearing it across the rest of her face. The scientist shook it off though. Being dirty was nothing new, even if she did bitch about sometimes, but helping Gohan back to the world he belonged in took priority. She could take a bath later.

"But what happened?" Bulma muttered to herself. "Why did the machine fry again?" She replayed the events that had led to her firing up the portal in the first place. When she'd reconstructed the machine, she'd added a little something to it that worked much like the Dragon Radar did but instead of finding the Dragonballs, instead it found ki signatures. For days she'd been hunting across time and space for Gohan's ki but hadn't found anything.

Then she'd gotten a lock on him and tried to pull him back but the second she did, Gohan's ki flared to unimaginable levels, levels she typically associated with Super Saiyan 2, and the resultant backlash had completely fried both her locater device and a few key components inside the portal itself. Those parts were close to irreplaceable. They had been custom made by Bulma herself and the materials that she'd used were so rare it could take months just to get enough to recast the components.

Not to mention she had no idea where she had put the molds, which was a problem in and of itself. At this rate, it would be faster to collect the Dragonballs and wish Gohan back than it would to get the portal device operational again.

The wrench in Bulma's hand clattered to the floor of her lab.

The Dragonballs! She could wish Gohan back to their dimension! The only question was if Shenlong was capable of it, but since the Eternal Dragon was a semi-omnipotent _extradimensional _creature in and of itself, it should be theoretically possible. Another thought occurred to Bulma with her revelation about the Dragonballs. If she was right, then it would allow Gohan to come home in a much safer manner than which he'd left, which would cut down on him being stuck in the unknown areas between stable areas of space-time.

Bulma dashed for her room, nearly tackling Vegeta as he emerged from the training chamber. She ignored his shouted protests as she sprinted up the stairs and flung herself under her bed, scrambling for the briefcase that held the various mementos of her adventures with Goku and the rest over the years. She threw open the lid and there, sitting on the neatly-folded clothes she'd worn to Namek, was the white and green disc of the Dragon Radar.

She clicked it on and resized the screen.

She was in luck. There was a ball on this very continent.

Bulma barreled out her front door.

If everything went well, she could have the Dragonballs collected in a month or two and Gohan could be back almost instantly.

She grinned. She really should've thought of this earlier.

* * *

Almost a month and a half after they set out, only two weeks after finding Tsunade, Jiraiya, Naruto, and Gohan came back to Konohagakure with a few extras in tow.

Kabuto was handed off almost immidiatly to Konoha's ANBU Interrogation Division. The traitor Leaf-nin would wake up in the 'tender' care of Morino Ibiki and Mitarashi Anko, both of whom would be more eager to set on him and get him to spill his deepest and darkest secrets.

The other five's welcome was much warmer. After the ANBU had left, the Sandaime himself came up the road, puffing his pipe, clad in his Hokage finery, and a grandfatherly grin on his face.

"So you succeeded then," Sarutobi said.

Tsunade, by now long recovered and again cloaked in her genjutsu (she'd refused to leave what was left of Tanzaku until it was restored), snorted. "Isn't it obvious Old Man?"

Sarutobi laughed as Koharu and Homura bristled at Tsunade's callous greeting of the revered and venerable leader. "I see you haven't lost your quick tongue or your health in the time you've been gone." Tsunade muttered something that made him laugh. His dark eyes found Shizune. "And Shizune-san," he said with a bow. "A pleasure as always."

"It's an honor to see you again, Sandaime-sama," Shizune replied with a deeper bow.

"Sarutobi-san will do," the Hokage said with another chuckle. "Since my replacement has arrived, yes?" He quirked an eyebrow at Tsunade, unsure of how much work he would have to do to convince her to take up the hat and robe.

"Yeah yeah," Tsunade huffed with a wave of her hand. "I'll be the freaking Godaime." She looked away with a 'hrumph'. Sarutobi only grinned, which only widened when Tsunade added under her breath, "I'm glad you're not dead, Old Man."

"Excellent work, Jiraiya," Sarutobi said.

"Wasn't all me, Old Man," Jiraiya said with a grin, tousling both Naruto and (Normal) Gohan's hair. "These two had a big part in it."

"I figured as much," the Sandaime answered which made Naruto grin and Gohan rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "Jiraiya sent me a messenger toad with news of Orochimaru's demise at young Gohan-kun's hands. I must say, Gohan, I didn't think your second form would be so powerful."

"You knew?" Gohan asked, shocked and startled.

"Second form?" Naruto asked. "You mean you can get more powerful than that Super Saiy-watchamacallit?"

Gohan nodded, still surprised that Sarutobi had figured him out so fast. Jiraiya had told him that there had been nothing in the message about the ascension, only that Gohan and Tsunade had tag-teamed and killed Orochimaru.

Naruto's mouth worked like a fish.

Sarutobi grinned. "Of course I knew," he said in answer to Gohan's question. "It wasn't hard to figure out when I was able to feel that fearsome power of yours all the way out here."

"It reached all the way to Konoha?" Gohan asked as the group began to walk down the street, Koharu and Homura leaving as Sarutobi dismissed them.

"It did," Sarutobi replied. "And you even broke the window in my office!"

"Sorry about that."

"It's quite alright. After all, because of that power, you were able to defeat my wayward student."

"I didn't really mean to kill him," Gohan said quickly. "It's just that I get so mad as an Ascended Saiyan that…"

Sarutobi forestalled him with a hand. "If you are worried about my being angry over this occurrence, don't be." The Kage took a pull on his pipe and exhaled a cloud of fragrant smoke. "Please do not forget, Gohan-kun, that I myself tried to kill him only a month or so ago. It had to be done and in all honesty, you probably did the world a favor."

"I'm glad you're catching up with everyone, Old Man," Tsunade interrupted, "but can we get this whole show on the road. You know, before I change my mind."

Sarutobi laughed outright at that. "My dear Tsunade," he said, chortling, "When have you ever been known to change your mind about something?"

"You two are free to go," Jiraiya said to the two youngest of the group. "This is gonna be a lot of paperwork and boring stuff."

"Who wants to sit through that?" Naruto asked. "Right Gohan?"

"Yeah."

The two roommates headed off in a different direction. After eating Ichiraku out o their daily stock of broth and noodles, Naruto went back to his apartment to unpack while Gohan decided to go find Sakura and see what she was up to. All around him were signs of Konoha's recovery from the disaster that had befallen it only a month or two before.

New buildings had been erected where old ones had been knocked down, damaged structures had either been demolished and rebuilt or shored up and made to look like new. It seemed like every wall in town had a new coat of paint on it and every store, house, eatery, and pub had a new façade and a new look.

Gohan grinned to himself. He was starting to really enjoy his time in this dimension. It was becoming more and more of a home to him with every day that passed. He especially enjoyed these days of peace. That more than anything meant a lot to him. It was a rare privilege for him to be able to just have a day to himself and do nothing.

He wished it could last forever.

Gohan should've known better.

* * *

Sasuke sat on a stool in his room, staring out the window at the jounin of the police force who were patrolling underneath him. One month. One month he'd been cooped up in his house, unable to leave for even the most menial of things. If he needed groceries or something, he told on of the jounin and they would go and get it. Naturally, they would bring back what Sasuke _didn't_ need and he would have to tell them and they would have to go again and tempers would flare and it got real nasty when it was all said and done.

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of his prison but they, they being everyone from the Hokage on downward, insisted that Sasuke had yet to apologize for his actions during the Chuunin Exams when he'd attacked Gohan in order to test himself. The young avenger's teeth ground at thought as he also remembered the humiliating defeat the Aburame Shino had served him.

He needed to get stronger and he needed to get stronger _now_ so he could go after and kill Itachi. What was so wrong with that? Itachi was a missing-nin anyway, so he was marked for death one way or another. Did it really matter that Sasuke had to be the one to deal the killing blow? Did it really matter that Sasuke had tried to fight Son Gohan in order to test himself?

Sasuke thought of Orochimaru.

Orochimaru.

One of the three Densetsu no Sannin, the Legendary Three Ninja, three of the most powerful shinobi in Konoha, probably second only to the famous Konoha no Kiiroi Senko, Konoha's Yellow Flash, better known as the Yondaime Hokage. Every couple of days since his imprisonment, Sasuke's thoughts had flashed back to the encounter in the Forest of Death, almost two months previously now. Orochimaru had been so powerful, so self-assured, so unstoppable. From what Sakura had told him later, Orochimaru had even been more powerful than Son Gohan at his peak. That peak was one hell of a summit too, if the Third Exam had been any indication.

The Curse Seal on Sasuke's neck throbbed painfully.

It had been getting more and more insistent these days, almost as if it sensed his disquiet and was guiding him towards Orochimaru and the instruction that the Sannin could offer him.

Not that it mattered as imprisoned as he was. As if the out-of-reach lure wasn't enough, rumors had started circulating that Gohan had actually met Itachi. How that had happened, Sasuke had no idea, but he guessed that Gohan had been a part of that mission to find Tsunade, also of the Sannin, and bring her back to Konoha to become the Godaime. Apparently Tsunade had arrived either the day before or a few hours ago, depending on who you listened to.

Then there had been that earthquake and light a couple of weeks ago. Somehow Sasuke knew that Gohan had something to do with it and he was dying to know just what it was, but no matter who he asked, no on had an answer, or at least wasn't going to give him a straight answer.

To summarize what Sasuke was feeling, he wanted nothing more than to kill his brother Itachi, but he knew he didn't have the power, but was reasonably sure that Son Gohan had the power. Defeat Son Gohan, who could take down Itachi, and, hopefully, at that point, Sasuke would be strong enough to defeat his brother. But the problem was that Sasuke knew he was no match for Gohan, which led him back to the fact that Orochimaru had offered him power, which in turn led him to wondering if even that could bring down Itachi, and on and on it went as Sasuke's thoughts chased each other around his skull like gerbils.

That was Sasuke's imprisonment. Wake up, contemplate his position, eat maybe, contemplate some more, then go to bed and start all over. Twilight was setting in and Sasuke decided that he was getting sick of just running his thoughts around in circles. He slipped into bed and drifted off to sleep.

He awoke with a start and threw his pillow. Sasuke's impromptu projectile flew true and hit something in the face. The interloper was distracted, which allowed Sasuke to tackle him and drive him to the floor. Sasuke's left hand swiped a letter opener off his desk and held it to the intruder's throat. It wasn't a knife and didn't even have an edge to it, but in the darkness it _looked_ like a knife and that was what mattered. The genin also kept the edge of the person's throat, so he couldn't feel the dull edge but close enough to still be aware of its presence.

"Easy! I'm on your side!" The new arrival protested.

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke growled. Both were talking in hushed voices but that didn't stop Sasuke from realizing that the person he was dealing with was about his age, maybe a couple of years older. Of course that didn't mean anything. This person could've been even more dangerous than Kakashi for all Sasuke knew.

"My name is Sakon," Sakon said.

"What do you want?"

"Get off me and I'll be happy to tell you."

Sasuke eased himself off Sakon, who stood and dusted himself off. He stopped short when he saw Sasuke's letter opener. "A letter opener?" Sakon said with a shake of his head. "I'll give you points for acting at least."

"What do you want?" Sasuke reiterated.

"Straight to the point then. Okay. That's cool. The less time I'm here the better. Tayuya can only fool jounin for so long. I'll make this short then. I'm Sakon."

"You said that."

"Shut up and listen. My name is Sakon. I'm here on a mission to recruit you."

"Recruit me?"

Sakon nodded, allowing the moonlight outside to catch his silver hair, the only part of Sakon Sasuke was able to see. "You see, I'm an envoy sent to you from Orochimaru-sama."

Sakon suddenly had Sasuke's full attention. "Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked, hardly able to keep the surprise, and excitement, out of his voice. After a very long time of waiting, pondering, and daydreaming, an opportunity to get his hands on some real, tangible, strength had suddenly plopped itself down right into Sasuke's lap.

Sakon nodded again. "Yeah. Orochimaru-sama has had his eye on you, Sasuke, and he wants you to join up with us. If you do, I don't think I need to tell you that you'll have power beyond your wildest imaginings."

"I can imagine quite a bit," Sasuke retorted, Gohan's vivid gold hair and Itachi's Sharingan flitting across his vision.

"You're thinking of your brother Itachi and Son Gohan," Sakon said immidiatly, making Sasuke do a double take and wonder if this guy could read minds.

Sasuke nodded grudgingly, recognizing the futility in hiding it.

Sakon's lip curled in a cruel smile. "If you take me up on this offer, we'll be able to give you more control over your Cursed Mark. You only know the first level. There's a second tier above that that you'll be able to control at will. Once you do that, Orochimaru-sama said to tell you that he'll train you personally." Sakon was lying through his teeth about that one. He had no idea what Orochimaru's plans for Sasuke were and he didn't want to know. "So what do you say?"

Sasuke remained silent for a moment before speaking. "I can't really get out of here," he said, gesturing to the window. "There're guards everywhere and they're jounin. You won't be able to stop them so easily."

"We know. That's why we'll give you a little time to think about it. We'll come back tomorrow night. Have your answer for us by then." With that, Sakon turned, checked something out the window, then vanished into the night. Sasuke shut the window behind the departing Oto-nin and returned to bed, a path suddenly blooming before him.

* * *

Uh-oh! Sasuke's up to something! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Know what the ironic thing is? While I'm writing this author's note, there's a thing on the History Channel about parallel universes. Ironic, yes? I digress. Look forward to the next chapter!

~WingedFreedom622

**Glossary**

**Sozo Saisei (Creation Rebirth): **Tsunade's greatest secret. She stores up chakra in her forehead seal to be released at a later time. This speeds up her cellular regeneration. Contrary to what she told Orochimaru, she's NOT immortal when she uses this. Actually, she's hurting herself because of the accelerating mitosis, which shortens her life by a as of yet unspecified amount.

**Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough): **The user creates a huge blast of wind chakra that can carry a person right off their feet (think canon Naruto in the Second Exam). Additional jutsu can be added to this technique to further the potency of both. Orochimaru only used it here as a distraction.


	35. Bonds Cracked

Disclaimer: Own nothing and this chapter contains strong language. (Thanks so much for that, Tayuya.)

* * *

Naruto and Gohan were sleeping soundly when a pounding on Naruto's door woke the both of them up. They yawned almost as one and stretched. Gohan winced in a brief amount of pain as the old aches and bruises he'd suffered when he'd fought Orochimaru came back to him, reminding him that they were still there and still tender.

The door was pounded again.

"Wake up you idiots!" Sakura's voice bellowed through the door. "I haven't seen you since you got back! I'm not about to let you both sleep in!"

"Dammit, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called back even as he got up and slouched over to the door, wiping at his bleary eyes. "It's noon! You could let us sleep in a little more!"

The door, which wasn't all that sturdy to begin with, exploded inward as Sakura really hammered on it. Naruto squealed in fright as he was assaulted by a blur of pink and red. Sakura embraced him. "Good to see you alive, dumbass," she said as she let go and took a step back.

"Uh, thanks?" Naruto replied, looking kind of surprised, since he'd expected to get his face beat in or something.

Sakura bashed him.

"Don't ever make me worry like that again!" She raged. "I heard about everything from Kakashi-sensei! He said you almost got yourself killed sticking your nose where it didn't belong!"

"Take it easy on him, Sakura," Gohan said with a laugh as he stood and pulled on a shirt. He didn't notice Sakura's blush as she noted his bare chest, crisscrossed here and there with very faint scars that he'd picked up over the years. "He had a rough couple of weeks."

Sakura smacked him (much lighter) on the back of the head. "Idiot," she huffed, trying to ignore the warmth in her face. "Do you have any idea about how worried I was? You both just vanished without saying anything and the next thing I know, Kakashi-sensei's in the hospital and Iruka-sensei's telling me that you both got beat up!"

"We didn't really have the time, Sakura-chan!" Naruto protested, rubbing his abused nose as he stood up again. "Old Man Hokage just kind of hustled us out of the village!"

"Not that it really mattered," Gohan added, not looking too happy. "We got caught by the Akatsuki anyway." Naruto nodded.

"Akatsuki?" Sakura asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "What's that?"

"Why don't we go get something to eat and we'll tell you?" Gohan suggested.

"Yeah! Ichiraku here we come!" Naruto crowed. Sakura and Gohan traded glances before bursting out laughing.

* * *

"And that's that," Sarutobi said with a satisfied smile as he signed the last paper in front of him. "With this, Senju Tsunade is the Godaime Hokage until she either dies or decides to step down and hand the position over to another."

Tsunade looked distinctly less pleased. "Great," she said sarcastically. "I'm thrilled."

"Oh it's not so bad," Sarutobi replied as he stood and vacated his chair for the last time as Hokage. Tsunade flopped down into it with a sigh and propped her chin up on her palm.

A towering stack of paperwork dumped itself all over her.

"Well except for the paperwork," Sarutobi laughed as his student extricated herself from the deluge of scrolls and forms and who knew what else. "That's a nightmare."

"Old bastard!" Tsunade snarled as she threw the forms back on the desk, which Shizune chastised her for and set about straightening. Sarutobi only laughed harder, knowing that his student was only acting angry for appearances and didn't mean anything by it. She would do the position of Hokage proud. It was in her blood after all.

"HOKAGE-SAMAAAAAAAA!"

The door to the office exploded inward.

Maito Gai fell flat on his face, not expecting the door to give way under the power of his full-body flying tackle.

"Gai?" Sarutobi asked. "What is it?"

"Sandaime-sama!" The Green Beast shouted, crawling towards Sarutobi on his hands and knees. "Please! Is it true that Tsunade-sama has returned to the village?"

"Yeah, I'm back," Tsunade replied, standing up so she could lean over her desk and see just what in the hell was going on. "What's all this about?"

"Ah! It is Tsunade-sama!" Gai grabbed Sarutobi's ankles. "Please, Hokage-sama! Please tell her that she has to heal my greatest friend Kakashi! Please! !"

"Well, Hokage-sama?" Sarutobi asked Tsunade, laughing inwardly at the 'WTF?' look on his old student's face. "What are you going to do?"

"Eh? Hokage-sama?" Gai asked, looking from Sarutobi's ankles to Tsunade's face. A lightbulb lit up. "Oh." He stood up, brushed himself off, and cleared his throat. "Ahem. Excuse me, Sandaime-sama, Godaime-sama. WAAAAA!" He threw himself around Tsunade's waist and held on for dear life. "GODAIME-SAMA PLEASE HEAL MY DEAREST FRIEND KAKASHI! OH PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!"

"GET OFF!" Tsunade roared. She grabbed Gai by the hair and threw him out the window. His screams grew fainter and fainter until the only thing left was a small twinkle in the sky. "Who the hell was that!" Tsunade demanded of her predecessor.

Sarutobi rubbed his temples with one hand. "That would be Maito Gai-kun," he said in a long-suffering voice. "Ever since Kakashi's run in with Uchiha Itachi and the Mangenkyou Sharingan, he's been rather…distressed."

"Kakashi, huh?" Tsunade replied with a shake of her head. "I remember patching him up every time he and the original Team Seven came back from a mission." She glared at Jiraiya. "I would've thought Minato could've kept him on a tighter rein."

"He tried to," Jiraiya answered, chuckling, "but you know how hot-headed Kakashi was."

Tsunade grumbled something in answer as she set out for the hospital. The best way to get rid of Gai, she decided, was to deal with the problem at the source.

* * *

Kakashi stirred and woke up. He blinked blearily up at the ceiling before he remembered fighting Itachi and sat bolt upright. The world swooned around him and he sat back, rubbing his maskless face, feeling the beard he was sporting since he hadn't shaved in a very long time.

"Take it easy, idiot," Tsunade told him sharply. "If you pass out again, I'm not helping a second time."

"Godaime-sama," Kakashi muttered woozily. "I take it Jiraiya-sama was successful then?"

"Obviously."

"Good to know. When can I leave?"

"Leave?" Tsunade scoffed. "You're not going anywhere until I say so. We need to check what kind of condition you're in before I even letting you out of bed!"

Kakashi and Tsunade locked gazes in an invisible clash of wills. Kakashi was the first to look away. Tsunade smirked triumphantly, but that smile slid off her face like oil the second Kakashi sat up again, slung his legs over the side of the bed and stumbled his way over to the sink and mirror on the far wall. He checked his face again before going over to the cabinet underneath the window, pulling out his gear, grabbing a kunai, and staggering back to the mirror.

Then the scarecrow proceeded to shave with the kunai and some water. When that was done, Kakashi splashed some very cold water on his face to wake up the rest of the way, then walked back to his equipment, grabbed his mask and hirai-ate, put them on, and laid down in bed, Icha Icha Paradise in hand.

Tsunade looked apoplectic with disbelieving rage and Jiraiya and Sarutobi were busy laughing behind her back at the scarecrow's audacity.

"So am I free to go?" Kakashi asked innocently, not revealing that he'd almost cut his throat twice trying to get rid of his beard. Tsunade threw up her hands and stormed out of the room, hitting Jiraiya over the head for laughing at her when he didn't get out of the way in time.

Kakashi waited until Tsunade's furious footsteps faded down the hall then swung himself out of bed again and proceeded to get dressed, thankful to have clothing with a back on it, even if it had been tied tight enough to not gap on him.

"It's good to see you up and around, Kakashi," Sarutobi told him.

"Tell me about it," Kakashi agreed. "So I guess that makes you the former Hokage again, huh?"

"Yes. And this time I hope to stay retired," Sarutobi laughed, pulling out his pipe. He tamped some tobacco in the bowl and was about to light it when he realized that he was in a hospital. He stowed it again mournfully.

"How's Naruto and Gohan?"

"Better. Naruto's alive and Gohan has regained full use of his right arm," Jiraiya told him. Kakashi nodded.

"Good. Good. Sasuke?"

The Sannin and former Hokage traded glances that told Kakashi instantly that Sasuke had yet to come around. They didn't have to say anything. "I see," Kakashi muttered. "I'll go talk to him tonight when I've had some time to get some solid food in me."

"Perhaps Sasuke will listen to you when he would not listen to us," Sarutobi replied.

"Doubtful," Kakashi answered, "but that's not going to stop me from trying."

* * *

For everyone, the day passed quickly and what a blissful day it was for all. Even for Sasuke because he'd made his plans, laid them out with the care and precision that could be expected of him, and he knew that he was about to cross a line, a line in the sand that no shinobi dare cross lest his friends and family become his worst enemies. Sasuke knew what becoming a missing-nin entailed. Knew and disregarded it. To him, if Orochimaru could make his stronger, then it was all worth it in the end.

He set his packed backpack, full to bursting with extra weapons, a sleeping roll, separate change of clothing, some slight provisions for the long trip to wherever the hell Orochimaru was hanging out, and even more weapons. Sasuke looked his inventory over one more time and glanced at his reflection in the mirror.

He'd changed, he noted with some mild interest. His face hadn't changed, of course, but his eyes were darker somehow, more…intense somehow. Sasuke figured it was because of his conviction to see this through to the end, wherever that lay, and finally kill off Itachi and avenge his family. He would still see his brother, katana dripping with the blood of his freshly-slain parents, standing over the corpses of what had been a happy family. Sasuke and Itachi had both died symbolically that day.

Now it was time for Sasuke to finally rise from the ashes and…

A knock at his window jolted Sasuke from his reverie. He slipped his backpack under his bed, slid over to the window, and eased it open. Sakon was inside in only the barest flicker of shadow.

"What's your answer?" Sakon asked harshly. "We don't have much time."

"I'm in," Sasuke said before Sakon had even finished speaking.

The silver-haired shinobi smiled humorlessly and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder. "Then welcome to the group," he said. His hand was shoved away roughly.

"Don't touch me," Sasuke growled. He pulled his bag onto his shoulders and followed Sakon to the window. Sakon's hand was resting on the window's upright.

A flash of silver in the dark was all the warning they got.

Sakon bit back a scream as he was suddenly in a lot of pain, his hand pinned to the window by a kunai that had been thrown with enough force to go through, enough precision to pass right between the bones and out his palm. Sasuke was quicker on the uptake, sending a return knife of his own in the direction of his new ally's assailant.

A flash of movement was all the movement even Sasuke's Sharingan, blazing right when he'd returned fire, could detect.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing, Sasuke?" a voice asked. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he recognized the speaker.

"Kakashi."

The jounin appeared in the dark corner of the room. It was amazing how well he could blend with his surroundings. He had used no genjutsu, no concealments that Sasuke could see. Only his own skill. It showed just how much of a deadly enemy Kakashi was.

"Answer my question," he said in a voice that could be construed as a snarl. "Do you have any idea what you are about to do?" Dual Sharingan met one Sharingan and one normal eye.

"I always know what I'm doing Kakashi," Sasuke replied evenly, not bothered by Kakashi's hostilities. Sakon grunted as he pulled his trapped hand free, massaging the wound and glaring heatedly at Kakashi, who studiously ignored him but Sakon knew the second he made a move, the instant he was open, Kakashi would kill him. That was the kind of man, the kind of shinobi, Hatake Kakashi was.

"You're about to cross a line that you can't uncross, Sasuke," Kakashi snapped. "If you leave with him, you'll be a traitor. And I'll have no choice to kill you, this guy, and the three others he's got outside."

Sakon had to work very hard to keep the shock off his face while he reevaluated his opinion of the Copy Ninja. He was infinitely more dangerous than any Bingo Book, any intelligence, and any story, could possibly convey if he'd been able to see through Tayuya's genjutsu and simultaneously locate the other members of the Sound Four.

"We have to take care of this guy otherwise we'll get nowhere," Sakon muttered to Sasuke. Sakon's voice was barely audible, even to his own ears. There was no way Kakashi could've known what he'd said but Sakon had neglected the Sharingan.

"Try it," Kakashi said in a silky purr that Sasuke had never heard him use. It raised the mental image of a panther or a leopard in the trees, about to drop on its prey. "I could use the exercise." The tension spiraled horribly. The only sounds in Sasuke's room were the shifting of feet from the shinobi as they tried to get into position and the rustling of the trees outside.

All at once, they exploded into motion. Sasuke and Sakon threw themselves backwards, out the open window, flipping explosive kunai at the lunging Kakashi to cover their tracks. They hit the ground as the sky behind and above them lit with a flash of flame and thunder that rolled across the village.

"So much for the Copy Nin," Sakon said with a smirk.

"Kakashi's not that easy to kill," Sasuke retorted. As if on cue, Kakashi lunged from the bushes that ringed the perimeter of Sasuke's yard. The Kakashi inside had either used a Kawarimi or had been a Kage Bunshin from the start. Sasuke's Sharingan tracked the move and the young avenger was in motion before Sakon had even registered the attack.

Sakon cried out as a gash opened on his arm after Kakashi flicked past, on his way to confront Sasuke, who'd drawn two kunai, holding them in a reverse grip. The second Kakashi reached him with his own kunai, the two dissolved into a maddening flurry of blows that even Sakon had trouble tracking. The Sound Four member frowned and turned to get concealment in the trees, where he would mount a stealth attack on the Konoha jounin. He'd barely taken a half a step when Kakashi's spare knife found his Achilles tendon. Sakon felt his calf roll up his leg, accompanied by excruciating pain

"Not bad," Sasuke admitted grudgingly as Kakashi held him off with his one remaining kunai. Sasuke had tried to use his kunai as a pair of scissors and snip Kakashi's neck, but the jounin had blocked him, while making sure his thrown knife had hit its intended target. "I had no idea you were this good."

"Then you've never thought about it," Kakashi shot back. "I'm a war veteran. I was a jounin at the age you are now, or only a year or two older. I was trained by Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage himself, and my father was Hatake Sakumo, who was praised as being stronger than the Sannin." Kakashi's eyes sharpened. "If you think you'll be able to defeat me like you would anyone else, Sasuke, then I suggest you give up right here and now."

Sasuke broke their clash and spun away, a move Kakashi mimicked.

The copse of trees that further surrounded Kakashi's position exploded with an earthshaking smash. Three huge ogres lunged at him. One was clad in all black and carried a huge club. It was the one that attacked first. Kakashi threw himself up, slapped the tip of the iron club, spun himself onto the trailing surface then catapulted himself into the air. He landed and ducked a swipe from a second that was all yellow and had nasty spikes on its hands.

'What the hell are these things?' Kakashi wondered, but found his interest waning fast as he saw the way the other two joined the third in front of Sasuke, creating a towering wall of flesh, bone, and sinew. 'It doesn't matter. They're hostile and that's all I need to know.'

"You've got some bad moves for a pussy," a voice said mockingly. One of the three hidden shinobi moved into the open. Kakashi was startled to see it was a girl only a few years older than his own Team Seven. The jounin looked at Sakon, writhing on the ground, the girl, who he would later come to know as Tayuya, and Sasuke.

"What the hell was Orochimaru's problem?" Kakashi asked conversationally, though his guard never wavered. "Did he have a thing for kids?"

"Shut up, dick," Tayuya snarled, waving a thin silver rod that glinted in the moonlight. "Orochimaru-sama is the greatest leader in the world!"

"_Was_ the greatest leader," Kakashi replied smugly. He kept his eye on Tayuya. "He's been dead two weeks."

"I…Impossible!" Sakon wheezed from the ground.

"The prick's right!" Tayuya added. "Orochimaru wouldn't just up and die!"

"There's a stiff penalty for badmouthing our master," added a new voice. A boy with six arms emerged from the shadows, along with a boy who was tall and about as fat as Chouji, though Kakashi knew better than to use that word to the rotund boy's face. "Trash like you have no right to speak his name."

"Quiet, Kidoumaru," the fat boy said to six-arms. "Getting riled up is exactly what this man wants. If we give into our emotions, he's won and we will die."

'Dangerous,' Kakashi thought as he was surrounded by the three new arrivals, Sasuke, and the creatures, which swayed like they were being blown by the wind, docile. 'How am I going to get out of this?' That thought was almost subconscious because the majority of his mind was working in overdrive, making strategy after strategy, layering them on top of one another, knitting and unknitting before reknitting in some new method. It was why Kakashi was called a prodigy, not just because of his skills, which were no doubt formidable and deadly, but also for his brilliant mind, which when coupled with his skills meant there was no situation that he couldn't overcome.

"How long are we going to stare at this piece of shit?" Tayuya growled.

"Language, Tayuya," the fat one said.

"Shut," the girl replied, annunciating every word slowly and deliberately. "the fuck up Jiroubou!"

'Personality issues,' Kakashi thought as he watched, content with the break. If these guys started really talking, he could find some weaknesses to exploit, holes to use against them while he looked for an opening to retreat. As much as the idea galled him, and it chafed like pants made out of coarse sandpaper, Kakashi knew he had to retreat. He was outnumbered against unknown enemies. He continued to watch as Jiroubou and Tayuya continued to bounce off each other. 'Loose team cohesion. Probably don't work together well but will work for Orochimaru without a second thought, even to the point that they don't believe he's gone.' Kakashi smirked beneath his mask. 'Bastard had charisma, have to give him that.'

"Hey shut up!" Sakon snarled as he stood up, his leg perfectly fine. Kakashi allowed himself an instant of surprise and shock before squashing it. He had to retreat now. Evidently there were some unknown Kekkei Genkai involved, further complicating the matter. Yes. Kakashi had to make a tough call. He would retreat for now, lose the battle in order to win the war. He would let Sasuke go, then notify the Hokage and gather the rest of Team Seven, Sakura, Naruto, and Gohan, along with a few others of Sasuke's age group, since they knew him best, and go after him.

Lose the battle, Kakashi repeated mentally, having trouble with the idea of abandoning one of his own students, even if Sasuke's ultimate goal was dead. Lose the battle win the war. So how would he get away? The weak link had to be targeted. So who was the weak link? Kakashi didn't know about the three new arrivals, so they were out. Sasuke or the silver-haired one with the lump. Those were his targets. He didn't know how the boy had healed a severed tendon, but Kakashi didn't want to find out. Sasuke then. Sasuke was familiar. Kakashi knew how he fought, had taught him a few things himself, and knew the Sharingan like the back of his hand. He could get through Sasuke.

With Tayuya now arguing with Sakon, the other two members of the Sound Four watching them (sloppy, Kakashi thought) the former ANBU exploded into motion. The Sound Four were taken off guard, a second too slow to react and that was probably what allowed Kakashi to escape.

As he closed on Sasuke, Kakashi focused his chakra on that small point in his brain, releasing the First Celestial Gate. Kakashi blasted forward with renewed speed. Sasuke's Sharingan tracked him every step of the way, but Kakashi knew Sasuke. Sasuke had two very big and real limitations. First was his immature Sharingan. That was a big plus for Kakashi. If Sasuke's Sharingan was mature, he might, the key word being _might_ have been able track Kakashi. But that led into the second problem.

Reaction time.

Sasuke was a skilled shinobi, that much was true, but Kakashi was older, faster, stronger, more experienced. If one didn't have the reaction time to respond to what the Sharingan was telling them, and to do that, you had to _interpret_ the movements, which required a mature Sharingan, then you could be the Rikudou Sennin himself and still get your ass handed to you.

End result?

Kakashi bowled Sasuke over like he wasn't even there, hurling the boy to the ground roughly before shooting up a wall and out over the rooftops, making a beeline for the Hokage's Tower.

"Fuck!" Tayuya swore. "He got away!"

"Let's get him!" Kidoumaru said as he made to go after the scarecrow.

"No!" Sasuke said sharply. "He's going for the Hokage's Tower. He's going to report this to the Godaime, who will send ANBU and other Jounin after us. We need to be long gone by the time they arrive."

"Hey!" Tayuya snarled. "you think you can just come in here and get all uppity with us? Who the hell do you think you are, bastard? Huh?" Sasuke regarded the irate girl calmly, which infuriated her more. She lashed out with the flute she used to control her oni demons.

Sasuke's fist blasted into her stomach, winding her. She dropped to the ground gagging as Sasuke stood over her like some mighty and terrible ruler. "If you want to die or rot in the Black Ops interrogation rooms like your pal Kabuto, then you can stay here. Me, I'd rather live to fight another day, so I'm getting out of Konoha. You can either come with me to lead me to Orochimaru, or you can stay here and be tortured. Your choice."

With that, he stepped over her and leaped into the trees, vanishing in a second. The other members of the Sound Four didn't bother to help their companion. They just turned and followed after Sasuke. Tayuya wheezed for a few more seconds then followed after them.

* * *

'Thank God! The light's still on!' Kakashi thought as he approached the tower. He blew right between the ANBU guards so fast they almost went after him, but one managed to catch a flash of Kakashi's distinctive flyaway silver hair and informed his companion.

"What do you think that was about?" the first asked.

"Don't know. Must be serious though. I've never seen Kakashi-san move that fast."

"Hokage-sama!" Kakashi shouted, shoving open the doors, which rebounded off the walls he'd shoved them so hard. The stack of papers that loomed over Tsunade's desk tilted dangerously and dissolved into an avalanche of parchment.

Tsunade extricated herself with difficulty. Her eyebrow twitched as she saw the mountains of dislodged paper that now buried her up to her armpits. "This had better be good, Kakashi," she growled then noticed his bared Sharingan. Her menace and temper vanished almost instantly. "What's wrong? Why are you using your Sharingan?"

Hearing that, Kakashi suddenly realized he'd left it open and pulled his hirai-ate down. "Sasuke's gone," he told her.

"What?" Tsunade asked. "Say that again?"

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, more urgently now. "He's gone! He left with some servants of Orochimaru. He helped them try to kill me then stood by as they assaulted me. He was protected by some girl who uses a flute. They were saying something about taking him to your old pal."

"Impossible," Tsunade said with a dismissive wave. "Orochimaru was killed by Son Gohan. I was there. I watched it happen."

"But Sasuke doesn't know that and now he's gone rogue. Tsunade-sama, we can't let him get away!"

Tsunade sighed and shoved the papers away, exposing her desk. She steepled her finger and rested her chin on her thumbs. "Are you sure you're thinking clearly, Kakashi?"

"What? Of course I'm…wait a minute. You think that if I go after Sasuke, I won't give it my all, won't kill him because of some lingering attachment I have to him?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"Tsunade-sama," he replied, "It's true that I go around spouting stuff like those who abandon their friends are worse than trash, but never once have I given any mercy to those who are enemies of this village. All who have tried to kill me to get to my home are either dead or were good or lucky enough to get away." His one visible eye sharpened and the firm set of his jaw was noticeable even through his mask. "Sasuke will be no different. I will do my duty."

"Who do you want to take with you?"

"Team Seven and a few of Sasuke's age group. They knew him best. They won't underestimate him."

Tsunade looked shocked. "Do you hear yourself Kakashi?" She asked. "You're asking them to kill one of their friends. I admit the Rookie Nine are good, better than all expectations, but they are still not ready to go hunting a missing-nin. Take an ANBU squad with you."

"Then at least let me take Team Seven. We're a family on this team, all of us, and this is something that has to be kept in the family."

"No."

"Okay, I'll take an ANBU squad, but ask yourself this. Will Naruto, Sakura, and Gohan stand idly by when someone they care about is in trouble? Will you be able to stop them from forming their own team and coming after me? You can forbid Sakura and Naruto, maybe, but Gohan isn't even from this dimension. He's been given status as a shinobi of Konoha more as a formality than anything else."

"If he wears our headband, then he follows our rules."

"Do you believe that? Gohan has thrown his lot in with us of his own volition but that won't stop him from doing what he thinks is right. He'll follow me, even if the others don't and even if they don't, they'll follow him. Sakura because of her feelings for him and the desire to see him unharmed, and Naruto because Gohan is like a brother to him."

"We can stop Gohan."

"No you can't and you know it. He was able to take down Orochimaru with marginal help from you." Kakashi saw Tsunade's temper rise even before he saw the outward signs. "Getting angry with me won't change the facts."

Tsunade deflated again. "Fine," she said, "I can see your point. Take your team with you, but there are two conditions."

"Name them."

"One, you tell them right up front what the objective is. No mincing words or being all mysterious and unreadable about it. You let them know the second you get all three of them together. Two, you kill Sasuke yourself. Don't even let them get involved in the fight. You either bring Sasuke here in chains or you bring back his head. Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

Kakashi made no move to leave.

"Well?" Tsunade growled after a minute or two.

"I'm going to be outnumbered. It will be four on five. I want to take one more person with me in order to make sure this thing goes in our favor."

"Alright. Who?"

"I want Tenzou."

"Tenzou?" Tsunade asked, consulting her records. She nodded. "He's between missions right now but why? Why him?"

"This mission will not be easy on anyone, Naruto most of all because of his relationship with Sasuke. Naruto has displayed the ability to control the Kyuubi's chakra, but not to its fullest extent. I don't claim to know what Minato-sensei was thinking when he sealed the fox into his own son, but I do know that Naruto's control of Kyuubi is tenuous at best. Every time he draws on its chakra, more and more pollutes his body."

The Hokage nodded. "I see. You think Naruto will manifest the Kyuubi during this battle?"

"I would go so far as to guarantee it. And with the heated emotions that are sure to fly during this mission, I'm worried that this time Naruto will draw too much of the fox's power and become corrupted. Of course, I don't have anything to back this up with but we both know how malevolent the fox is. Its chakra has to imitate that. Tenzou might be the only way to control the fox, and therefore, Naruto on this mission."

"And I have passed my grandfather's necklace to him as well," Tsunade added.

"Which will make subduing the fox all the easier," Kakashi finished with a nod.

Tsunade closed her eyes, contemplating how she should move her pieces here. It pained her to think of Kakashi and his team as pawns, but that is what they were. It was like a chess game. Her pieces lived and died by her orders and no one else's. Finally she looked up and pulled a scroll towards her. "Come out, Tenzou."

The ANBU appeared with barely a whisper of noise, the epitome of stealth. Tsunade was even aware that this might not even be the real Tenzou, a clone he'd sent in his place, while the real one watched for other threats. "You called, Hokage-sama?"

"I did. I'm sure you know Kakashi."

"Of course. Kakashi-sempai, always a pleasure."

"Likewise."

"Do you know why you're here, Tenzou?" Tsunade asked.

"I would imagine it had something to do with the altercation with the Uchiha boy, who left the village illicitly about half an hour ago. My men tried to stop him at the gates but were cut down by his companions."

"You imagine correctly," Tsunade replied. "Your mission is to help Kakashi retrieve the boy. That is your primary objective, Tenzou. Standard missing-nin capture/kill rules apply. I'll tell you the same thing I told Kakashi. You're to bring him to me in chains or bring his head. Your secondary objective is to keep an eye on Uzumaki Naruto and, should the need arise, use the Kekkei Genkai that has been left to your care to subdue him."

"Orders received and understood, Hokage-sama."

"Good. You'll have to go as a Jounin this mission. Your codename for this operation shall be Yamato."

The ANBU reached up and threw back his hood and removed the glossy clay mask that covered his face. He was young, only a few years younger than Kakashi, who wasn't exactly old himself, his brown hair short, held back by an odd version of the headband that covered his forehead and protected the sides of his face. His eyes seemed oddly large, more so than was normal, his face plain, with no real outstanding features, aside from the odd eyes and some early signs of facial lines, brought on by stress no doubt.

"Well then, Kakashi-sempai," Yamato said. "Shall we go? Time is of the essence. The more we dally, the larger lead Uchiha Sasuke gets."

Kakashi nodded. "Let's go!"

The two vanished out the window, streaking off across the village.

Tsunade watched them go then stared intently at the wood grain of the desk.

"Godspeed," she whispered.

* * *

Done! Sorry it took so long! I have two excuses, one good and one bad. The good excuse is I went back to school at the end of August, which is why there was no chapter when there was supposed to be. The not so good reason that there was no September Chapter can be summed up in two words. Wanna hear them? Here they are. Halo Reach. My roommates got their hands on a couple of copies and we spent a long time killing Grunts and Elites on Campaign and a lot of people on Xbox Live. Anyway, just figured I'd get this out to put your minds at rest.

By the way, check out a fic by a person called Itachikiller, or something similar. He's got a story out that's called "Hero's..." I can't remember the last part of it. Someone put me onto it as a plagarized copy of Gohan's Dilemma and after reading it, and some of the reviews for it, I have to agree. Go check it out, report it if you want to. If you could all do that, it would make me a very happy camper. If not, oh well, it's not like I can make you. To quote Obi-Wan Kenobi, "You must to what you feel is right."


	36. Pursuit

Disclaimer: Own nothing

* * *

Team Seven assembled at the gate out of Konoha, all looking like rather bedraggled, like they'd just crawled out of the sack. And in fact they had. It was almost midnight after all and all three had decided to turn in early, since they'd expected Kakashi to have some rather grueling exercises lined up for them the next day or something. None had expected Kakashi and some creepy-eyed friend of his literally drag them out of bed and make them get dressed and traipse to the village's exit.

"Whaz goin' on Kaka…" Naruto didn't get to finish as a giant yawn cut off his next words. Next to him, Sakura was looking equally bleary eyed, pink hair ruffled and unkempt, a rarity for her. She was even too tired to be mortified that Gohan was going to see her looking at her worst.

For his part, Gohan looked fully coherent and alert, like he was used to getting up early and indeed he was. It was a habit of his from both his need to do chores back home and to train when his mother wasn't looking in an effort to keep his strength up. After all, the fate of the world rested on his shoulders and after Bojack and that whole fiasco, he wasn't about to slack off and just himself get into a slump. Well, that was what he told himself. It was getting harder to do, both because of Chichi's constant nagging to study and because he really didn't see the point of training himself into the ground like Piccolo and Vegeta did since there really hadn't been a severe threat to the world in quite a while.

Gohan smoothed the fabric of his gi, which looked just like the orange and blue one his father used to wear. Naruto had taken an instant liking to it, if only because of the inordinate amount of orange that it possessed. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

Kakashi and the other jounin with him traded glances.

"You could say that," Kakashi replied, "but before I go into that, I want to introduce you to someone. Team Seven, this is Yamato. He's an old friend of mine. Yamato, this is Naruto, Sakura, and Son Gohan."

"Son Gohan," Yamato murmured with a smile and a nod. "I've heard of you."

"You have?"

"Oh yes. The jounin who've seen you fight speak rather highly of your skills as a warrior and there are already tales going around the village that you've managed to kill off Orochimaru." Gohan laughed, embarrassed, and scratched at the back of his head.

"Now I'm sure you're wondering why I called you out here," Kakashi broke in.

"Hey!" Naruto interrupted, looking around. "Where's Sasuke?"

"You're right. I thought he would've been out of house arrest by now," Sakura agreed, looking around for the brooding Uchiha. "It's not like him to skip out."

"Is something wrong with him, Kakashi?" Gohan asked.

Again Yamato and Kakashi traded glances. "You could say that," Kakashi replied delicately. "Actually, Sasuke's the reason why I called you out here this late. Our mission concerns him."

"Mission?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi nodded and took a deep breath, looking world-weary for the first time that anyone present, Yamato included, could remember. "Sasuke's left the village," he said finally.

The effect was immediate. All of Team Seven looked alert and startled the second Kakashi's words settled in. "What!" Naruto and Sakura said together.

"Wait. He's left the village?" Gohan asked. "Doesn't that make him a missing-nin like his brother Itachi?"

"Right," Kakashi answered. "Which is why we have a mission." The jounin sighed. "If it were up to me, I would leave you out of the loop until you absolutely needed to know, but Godaime-sama wants me to be up front about it if I'm taking you all with me and, to be truthful, I think you've all grown tremendously since that first mission to Wave and you deserve the truth." He squared his shoulders and looked them all in the eye in turn, a heavy gaze that all of them met and returned without flinching, much to Kakashi's pleasure. If they'd looked away, he'd questioned the wisdom of taking them along. "Uchiha Sasuke has gone missing. It's believed his mind has been influenced the Curse Seal that Orochimaru placed on him."

"But I killed Orochimaru," Gohan said, frowning. "Shouldn't the seal have gone away?"

"You'd think," Kakashi replied.

"The problem is that we know so little about the seal itself," Yamato interjected. "Even with three seals to study, well, two know that Gohan-kun has dispelled his, they've proven highly resistant to any attempts to analyze or remove them."

"You got rid of yours, Gohan-kun?" Sakura asked, looking at the boy, who tugged his gi top and blue undershirt lower in response, baring the patch of flesh now devoid of any inverted raindrops. Even the Fuuja Houin, with nothing to seal anymore, was gone. She looked at Yamato. "Doesn't that mean that we have a way to remove it?"

"We think," Yamato answered, "that when Gohan-kun ascended to his next level of power, it somehow canceled out the effect of the Curse Seal, like when you try to put magnets of the same polarity together."

"However it happened," Kakashi added, "it doesn't matter now. The fact remains that even though Gohan was able to remove his seal, we still have no other way of being able to do it, aside from becoming Super Saiyans ourselves, which is impossible. So we're back to square one. Sasuke's mind has been corrupted by the Seal's influence and he's gone rogue." He looked at everyone gathered. "Our orders are to retrieve Sasuke by any means necessary."

"Even…" Naruto said, breaking off, not needing to finish. The look Yamato and Kakashi gave the blond boy was enough. He went pale and looked horrified that he might need to kill one of the first people he'd ever considered a friend. "But…"

"It's what has to be done, Naruto," Kakashi replied before pressing ahead. "Now, there's one other thing you all need to be aware of. Sasuke left with some of Orochimaru's henchmen. We think that they were dispatched to collect Sasuke before Orochimaru's little…vacation so they have no idea what's going on back home."

"So in other words, they're carrying out a mission for a dead master," Yamato added. "They've denied that Orochimaru's gone, so that's why we think they'd been gone before Orochimaru died."

"The point is that they're extremely dangerous," Kakashi said. "It's highly probable that we're going to end up fighting all four of them, plus Sasuke, at some point in time. I want you to all be aware of that and to be on your guard at all times for some kind of trap, ambush, or other unpleasant surprises. Keep in mind that it could very well be that Yamato and myself will get tied up in combat and you three will have to continue the mission on your own."

"But what if that happens and we catch up to Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"Our orders are to capture or kill," Kakashi answered flatly. "Sasuke, under no circumstances, is allowed to make it to wherever Orochimaru might have been hiding. If he does, then he'll be beyond our reach. Even dead, you can bet that Orochimaru's lair will be filled with too many unpleasant things to just go charging in recklessly." He looked at the three teens severely again. "Am I clear."

They traded nervous glances and it wasn't enough for Kakashi.

"Am I clear!" He barked again.

"Yes sir!" Sakura and Naruto shot back, by instinct. Gohan looked indecisive for a second longer before his onyx eyes steeled and he nodded.

"Good." Kakashi drew a kunai, sliced his thumb and molded a handful of seals. "Ninpou! Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Pakkun appeared in a puff and pop.

"Kakashi," the pug said, though it was hard to tell because he was currently gnawing on a bone. "Need somefin'?"

"I need your nose, Pakkun," Kakashi answered, tugging the bone out of the dog's mouth and did something to it that made it vanish like it had appeared. "We need to track Uchiha Sasuke."

"Oh you don't ask for much, do you?" Pakkun replied sulkily. "Do you expect me to just magically follow him with nothing to smell first? I'm a dog, not a miracle worker here."

Kakashi drew out Sasuke's hirai-ate and held it to the dog's nose. The pug took a few whiffs then put his nose to the ground and turned in a slow circle, snuffling. Pakkun's ears pricked up and he looked up, wrinkled face pensive. "That's the way," he said, pointing with one dainty paw. "It's hard to make out under the scents that are surrounding it, but it's him alright."

"Lead the way," Kakashi said. Pakkun took off for the forest outside Konoha and the others followed him. Something clinked to the ground and made Naruto stop. It was Sasuke's forehead protector. It had fallen out of Kakashi's pocket with the sudden movement. Naruto picked it up, looked at it for a second, then stowed it in his jacket pocket and hurried off to catch up to his team.

* * *

Ahead of the pursuing team, the Sound Four plus Sasuke stopped their headlong dash from the village and dropped to the forest floor. "This is a good a place as any," Sakon said, massaging the leg that had been injured by Kakashi back in the village. He'd used Ukon's leg as a fast replacement for the injured limb but it was very ungainly at best and he looked like someone with a prosthetic leg every time he took a step with it because Ukon couldn't get it together. He sat down, awkward because Ukon didn't get it right away, the leg receded into his body and was replaced by his gashed leg.

If Sasuke thought it was unusual or disconcerting, he didn't show it. Tayuya came over openly laughing. "Damn," she said, looking at the wound. "That asshole really did a number on you didn't he?"

"Shut up," Sakon grunted, showing the strain of injury for the first time as a cold sweat beaded on his forehead. "Kidoumaru, can't you do something about this?"

"Like what?" the six-armed teenager shot back. "I have first aid skill, remember. I can't do a full blow surgery in the middle of the field like this! I'm not Kabuto you know."

"That's a lie and you know it," Sakon ground out. "Now _do it_!"

"Fine fine," the other answered, coming over, suddenly sporting a sharp-edged scalpel made out of some golden material. Sasuke felt his interest sharpen as he watched the other member of the Sound Four get to work on Sakon, the scalpel slicing skin and tissue like it was paper.

Tayuya caught him looking. "Nice, isn't it?"

Sasuke shrugged, noncommittal.

"Fine. Play the haughty bastard for all I care." She turned away and stormed off, pursued by Jiroubou, who started hounding her for her foul mouth. That only led to a hot string of profanities being thrown back in his face. Kidoumaru straightened up after only a slight amount of time, perhaps twenty minutes. Sasuke supposed the six arms and gold stuff made medical work go faster.

"That'll hold for now," he told Sakon. "Still, we'd better get a move on. I'm sure the Leaf has sent out some kind of hunter-killer team for this guy." He jerked his head at Sasuke to underline his point. "I don't know about you all but I don't want to tangle with some pissed off ANBU."

"Right," Sakon grunted as he stood up. He winced as his leg seared with pain but thanks to Kidoumaru medical work, which while hasty was thorough (he'd been trained by Kabuto after all) would allow him to move at a much faster pace. "Then let's do the ceremony now."

The three nodded and surrounded Sasuke, who watched with apprehension and an active Sharingan. He wondered, for the first time, if going with these guys had been the right decision before squashing it. This was the path he had chosen. There was no turning back now. He would turn his back on the light and walk in the darkness. He could not look back.

"Easy," Sakon said, not sounding very calming. "This is just to activate the second level of your seal."

"Second level?" Sasuke asked. Sakon nodded.

"Yep. There's two levels to the Seals. The first is one you've already experienced, the part where the seal just covers your entire body and enhances your chakra and physical form. There's another level past that one, one which allows us to take on certain physical changes, allowing for more tricks in combat and it increases the effects of the first level. In other words, you get faster, stronger, and more durable and you gain a few new tricks to boot."

"So how do we activate this supposed second level?" Sasuke asked, the Sharingan fading from his eyes.

"Oh that, that's the easy part." Sakon grinned a feral grin as he looked Sasuke dead in the eyes. "You just have to die." He held up a small vial of black pills that looked a lot like soldier pills, but Sasuke could tell somehow that these pills were…wrong. Evil in some way he couldn't describe. Again he felt a twinge of apprehension, this one harder to ignore. "Take one of these babies," Sakon went on, "and you die."

"Somehow I think there's a way to survive," Sasuke replied dryly. Sakon laughed outright.

"You got it. I'm starting to like you, Sasuke. We have a jutsu we'll use to seal you away so you don't die and it'll keep you safe while the seal is taking its effect. When you come out of it, we'll crack the mold and you won't recognize yourself." Again that savage grin. "So. You ready?"

"How do I know I'll survive?" Sasuke asked.

"You'll just have to our word for it, bastard," Tayuya shot at him.

"We all went through the procedure," Jiroubou said softly. Sasuke found it hard to believe that he was one of Orochimaru's elite servants. He hardly spoke and was almost as rotund as Chouji. "We are quite literally living proof that it works."

Sasuke was nervous. He could admit to that much but he also could see the obvious advantages of such a fake death. And, he added mentally, this talk of levels and powerups was beginning to sound a lot like Son Gohan. A startling thought occurred to him. If this transformation put him on par with Son Gohan…Sasuke felt the hairs on his arm stand at the mere thought. It was also enough of a temptation to risk the fake death.

"Let's do it," He said calmly, sure of his decision. Sakon quirked an eyebrow, possibly guessing at Sasuke's thoughts then nodded and handed the boy one of the small, deceptively innocent pills. Sasuke looked at it for a second then gulped it down. For a moment there was nothing. Then liquid fire seared through him. He dropped to his knees as his insides erupted like volcanoes. Sasuke's skin actually steamed as the Cursed Seal burst its boundaries and surged over him like a wave.

He was only vaguely aware of the vibrations in his throat that meant he was screaming. His vision shut of and his ears went deaf and then he knew no more.

"Done," Sakon said as he placed the final seal on the barrel-shaped coffin that the Sound Four had sealed the last of the Uchiha into. "That's it."

Kidoumaru's finger twitched. He looked at it with mild interest. "We should get going," he said, showing the others the small gossamer strand that trailed from his finger into the bushes. The others knew there would be others just like them, strewn all over the area, in both obvious and covert locations. The idea was that for every web strand you saw and bypassed, there were tens of others you didn't see. "We've got company."

"Let's move!" Sakon said sharply. Jiroubou hefted the barrel containing Sasuke onto his back and nodded to his leader. Sakon returned the nod and led the others into the trees.

* * *

Pakkun's nose twitched and the pug's eyes narrowed. "They're on the move!" He called back to the four humans and one saiyan trailing him. "Heading away from us."

"What direction?" Kakashi asked.

"Northish," Pakkun answered. "I'd say they're heading for the border."

"If they make it that far, there's a good chance they'll find some collaborators and disappear," Yamato said to his leader. "Kakashi-sempai, we have to catch them before then or it will have all been for nothing."

"I agree," Kakashi replied. He looked back at his students. "Pick up the pace!" He called to them. "They're on the move and we have to catch them quick!" The three nodded and Kakashi had to admit he was impressed by them so far. Not once had any of them uttered so much as a complaint about the pace they were moving at, which would've tired out most genin their age a long time ago. Gohan was no real surprise, since he was abnormally tough to begin with, but Sakura and Naruto weren't even sweating yet, a testament to just how hard they'd trained.

'Probably don't even realize just how far they've come,' Kakashi thought as he pushed them even faster through the trees. 'Hope they hold out until we catch the guys that Sasuke went with.'

Gohan's eyes narrowed as he watched the trail ahead of them. Ordinarily, he would've flow off and begun fighting himself, but Kakashi had asked him after they were on the move if he would tone it down and move at the shinobi's pace for now, because splitting the team like that was dangerous and they couldn't afford the distraction right now. Gohan had agreed but now was regretting that decision.

Not too long ago, Sasuke's ki had dropped to dangerously low levels and was even now winking in and out of existence. Gohan had never felt anything like it before and so he had refrained from mentioning it, since he didn't want to raise an alarm until he was absolutely sure he knew what was happening. It was almost like Sasuke was dying and returning to live about once ever minute or so. Sasuke's ki vanished then flared again before dimming, like a candle that was sputtering, on the verge of going out.

"Wonder what it means," he muttered.

"Did you say something, Gohan-kun?" Sakura asked. He shook his head.

"No. Don't worry about it, Sakura," he replied quickly. She gave him a look that told him she didn't quite believe him but she let it go and didn't press him further. The Konoha-nin bounded through the trees in hot pursuit of their quarry but didn't get any closer to them. Of course, they didn't get any further away either. But at this rate they would never catch them before the border.

* * *

"We're not shaking them," Kidoumaru said in an undertone to Sakon, like they could be heard, even as far away as they were. And truth be told, there was a very good chance that they could be. Who knew what kind of Kekkei Genkai those guys had?

"We need to turn the hunters into the hunted," Sakon replied.

"How?" Tayuya asked. "Those bastards are probably ANBU. Those guys won't be so damn easy to fool. If we _can_ fool them."

Sakon got his wolfish grin again. "Oh we _can _get them."

"How?"

Sakon's grin was ear to ear now. "We give them what they want."

* * *

Pakkun's nose twitched again. "They've stopped," he reported.

Kakashi nodded as the team bounded through the boughs of the forest, his mind whirling as he contemplated reasons for the enemy stopping. He didn't think there was anything to worry about right then but nevertheless, he was wary. The team had Sasuke with them. They had to know that a hunter team was coming after them. They were probably expecting ANBU, and to an extent they were right. Kakashi was former ANBU and Yamato was current.

'The weak points for us right now are Sakura and Naruto.' He thought. 'I don't think I have to worry about them, but still…the enemy isn't your average shinobi. I hope they're up to the challenge.'

"Kakashi-sempai," Yamato said softly a few minutes later. Kakashi nodded and made a fast hand signal. The shinobi dropped for the forest floor as one coordinated unit, Gohan floundering for a second since he didn't know what the signals meant, but he fazed out when he realized what was happening and reappeared near his companions at almost the moment they reached the ground themselves.

"Scout them out, Yamato," Kakashi whispered.

Yamato nodded and molded a few hand seals. Then, to the surprise of everyone but Kakashi, Yamato's skin turned brown and tough, flaking in places, like the bark of a tree. Then the analogy was complete when Yamato stepped up to the nearest behemoth of a plant and merged and melded with it.

"Gohan," Kakashi whispered. "How fast can you fire that Kamehameha thing of yours?"

"Pretty fast," Gohan replied. "Why?"

"We made need it. How strong can you make it? Somehow I don't think we've seen the full extent of what you can do yet."

"Are you talking about how strong I usually make it or how powerful I can get it?"

"How strong can you get it?"

"I could blow away the planet without too much effort," he replied. "But I don't think you need that much…and I don't like using that kind of excess if I can get away with it."

Kakashi was stunned by just the knowledge of how much destruction Gohan could cause but shook it off. "Never mind then. When Yamato comes back with some intelligence, we'll start the surprise attack," the jounin told his charges. "Gohan, you'll lead off. I think they've made camp for awhile while they rest up. We'll hit them fast and hard and get Sasuke back. Once we have him, Sakura and Naruto will head back to Konoha. Gohan, you'll take Sasuke and fly him back, fast as you can. Yamato and I will handle the mopping up."

"But we can't leave you two out here alone," Naruto protested, to which Sakura nodded.

"Yamato and I'll be fine," Kakashi reassured them. "Don't forget, we're jounin. You're genin. I brought you three along because this problem involves our team, our family, and I wanted to keep it in the family, but you'll just get in the way if the two of us have to fight and I'll have better things to worry about than protecting you."

"But…" Sakura started.

"No!" Kakashi said sharply. "No buts! I am in charge of this mission. You _will_ listen to me. This is easily just as dangerous as fighting Gaara or Zabuza. There's no room for mistakes here. One mistake and you die. And I don't want to add any more of my important friends to the Hero's Stone. Understand?"

"Yes sensei," the two shinobi replied sullenly. Gohan nodded.

"I'll keep an eye on them on the way back," he said.

"I don't doubt that," Kakashi replied.

"You'd let Gohan stay," Naruto muttered. Kakashi heard him.

"Gohan is capable of things that put him on the level of the Kage and the Sannin. He's jounin level even without his transformations and from the stories he tells, he's saved his world more than his fair share of times. So yes, I'd let Gohan stay because he has the experience. You two, as much as you've grown in the short time we've known each other, don't have the experience."

That took the wind out of Naruto's sails and the team sat in silence until a stirring in the tree made them look over. Yamato pulled himself free one limb at a time, like he was climbing out of a thick clay, color returning to him as he did.

"Well?"

"They're there alright," Yamato murmured. "But I didn't see Sasuke."

"That's odd," the other jounin murmured. "I thought for sure Sasuke would've been with them. They're his escort after all. It's not good practice to let your target go."

"There was one other thing that none of the other reports mentioned."

"What?"

Yamato walked back over to the tree, made the sign for Tiger, then slammed his hand to the bark and pulled. Like putty, the tree warped and deformed, shaping to Yamato's will and chakra. In moments, he set down a perfect replica of the wooden barrel coffin that, unbeknownst to them at the time, held Sasuke's dying and reviving body. "I don't know what this is," Yamato told them, "but I do have some rudimentary training in sensing chakra, just enough to cover the basics. And even I can sense the power that's coming out of this thing." He looked serious. "Whatever they're using it for, it can't be good."

"What are they up to now?" Kakashi asked.

"Talking, arguing, generally belittling each other," Yamato answered. "They don't seem to be a very close-knit team from what I saw."

"That would fit with what I saw as well," Kakashi agreed. "Well then. I guess it's time we put our little plan into action."

"Plan?" Yamato asked.

Kakashi nodded and explained it to the ANBU. When the explanation was over, Yamato looked satisfied. "As expected of you, Kakashi-sempai," he said with an approving nod. "I say we go for it."

"And so we shall," Kakashi replied, tugging up his hirai-ate. He glanced over his shoulder at Gohan. "Gohan! Go!"

Gohan vanished like he'd never been there.

* * *

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Kidoumaru moaned. "I'm getting sick of this."

"Shut up," Sakon snapped. "They're nearby. We know that much. I'm willing to bet they've already found us and scouted us out and are even now planning their attack. We have to be ready." He looked around at his team. "One more time, are we all clear on our plan?" They nodded. "Good. Now stay alert."

* * *

Gohan appeared high above the trees and looked down. He could see the spot where he'd just left his team behind and, not more than a half-mile through the trees, he could see the glow of a campfire. He angled his way over, drifting silent on the wind, no excessive ki usage to alert them. This was all about surprise. If they found him now, then it was all over. When he was directly overhead, staring down through the leafy canopy at the small clearing where the Sound Four had made their camp, he turned his back on them and began to gather ki, shielding the light the gathering energy gave off with his body. Its glow intensified when it was complete and Gohan checked to see where he was going to hit one more time.

"Okay then," he whispered. "Let's get this show on the road, KAMEHAMEHA!"

* * *

"It's too quiet," Tayuya muttered. "Even the damn crickets aren't making any noise."

"You're right. Get ready," Sakon said. "The attack is probably going to happen any…"

"…KAMEHAMEHA!"

A bright light filled the sky, turning the waning darkness into high noon.

"Oh shit!" Tayuya shouted as she and the others looked skyward.

KABOOM!

The Kamehameha smashed to earth and detonated, shaking the ground like a cymbal, nearly knocking Team Seven off their feet. Gohan's ki flared around his body as blue flame and he dove straight down.

"Let's go!" Kakashi shouted. The shinobi exploded into motion, heading for the camp. They burst from the trees with kunai drawn and fire in their eyes. Almost the second they emerged into the scorched and blasted clearing, Kakashi knew they'd been had.

Jiroubou, the rotund member of the Sound Four, was just finishing a series of hand seals. "Doton Kekkai: Dorou Domu!"

Instantly the ground erupted and engulfed the four members of Team Seven. Gohan, on his groundward plunge, saw what happened to his friends and broke off, zipping back up into the lightening sky. He'd been diving from directly overhead when everyone had been enveloped in that mound of earth and the Sound Four had been so distracted by the ground assault coming at them, they didn't bother to look up, probably chalking up Gohan's Masenko to some genjutsu.

"And so the trash walks into the trap," Jiroubou said with a satisfied smirk as he stepped up to his earthen dome. "And just in time too. I'm not sure how long I can stave off this hunger." He looked back at his companions. "You go on ahead. I'll take it from here."

"Don't take too long, you fat bastard," Tayuya grumped as she hefted the barrel with Sasuke inside onto her back and dashed into the trees, Sakon and Kidoumaru providing cover for her.

"Damn!" Naruto swore from inside the earthworks. "What the hell happened?"

"It's a trap," Kakashi said simply, not sounding thrilled. "And we fell right into it. Damn! I underestimated them."

A voice boomed out of the earth walls surrounding them. "Can you hear me, trash of Konoha?"

"Who is that?" Sakura asked.

"Probably the guy who did the jutsu," Kakashi replied. "Looks like he's got some sort of earth-related Kekkei Genkai. Shit. This keeps getting better and better."

"You have a unique perception for the obvious, Sharingan no Kakashi," Jiroubou said. "Let's see if you can figure this one out."

Nothing happened.

"What's he talking about?" Naruto asked. "Nothing's happening."

"I don't know," Kakashi answered. "But I've had enough of this. I'm getting us out of here." His hands flashed in the darkness, the whisper of leather on leather loud in the dark silence of the dome. There was a second's pause then Kakashi's voice, loud and confident in the gloom, accompanied by the cries of a thousand chirping birds. "Chidori!"

The chirping lost its musical quality, turning to a more electric-like buzzing rasp. "Raikiri!"

Kakashi spun around, a blur to everyone, and smashed his hand into the earth dome. The explosion filled the dome with choking dust and flying fragments. Everyone coughed violently.

"Warn us next time!" Naruto shouted when he could finally breath again. He noticed Kakashi looked less than happy. "What?"

"That," the jounin replied simply, breathing deeply, pointing to the impression he'd made in the side of the earthworks. He panted a few more times. "That Raikiri should've cut right through the dirt, even if it is chakra-enhanced. This is nowhere near what it should be." His Sharingan narrowed as the dirt swirled over the pitiful impression and smoothed over, erasing any trace of damage Kakashi had done to it.

Laughter filled the dome. "Try and try again, trash," Jiroubou mocked. "Do whatever mice like you do to escape a trap. It will do you no good. My technique is impenetrable."

Kakashi tried desperately to still his breathing. 'Damn. Why am I breathing so hard?' he wondered. Then he took stock of his chakra levels and got the shock of his life. 'What? What happened to my chakra?'

"Hey," Sakura said suddenly. "I don't feel so good." She sat down, clearly disoriented and woozy.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "I feel tired too."

"An absorption technique," Yamato said quickly. "He's using this technique to steal our chakra!"

"Correct," Jiroubou boomed. "I am absorbing your chakra. My Kekkei Genkai is special. It lets me eat chakra like most normal people eat food." A slurp like Chouji licking his lips filled the unnatural cavern. "So thank you for the meal."

Suddenly the strain on Kakashi's reserves was a lot more noticeable.

"He's increased it," Yamato snarled, voice strained with sudden fatigue. "We won't last long at this rate."

"Then we have no choice," Kakashi whispered to himself as he made a hand seal and brought it up in front of his Sharingan. "I have to…"

The dome shook as if it were in the middle of a tornado and everyone heard a cry of pain from the outside. There was a second's pause then they heard Gohan's voice. "Get down!"

They didn't know what he was planning, but Kakashi figured that if it involved Gohan, it was probably fairly destructive and dangerous. He hit the deck at the same time the rest did. Not a moment too soon either. A blast of yellow energy ripped right through the dome, blasted out the other side like it wasn't there, and kept going into the trees. The earth jutsu crumbled around them and the team got the hell out of there as fast as they could.

Gohan was already clashing with Jiroubou, battering at the taller, bigger, boy's guard but unable to break through, but still driving him back. "Go!" Gohan shouted. He seized Jiroubou's wrists then kicked him in the gut, dropping him to his knees. Another kick sent the Sound Four member bouncing and tumbling over the ground. He pointed into the trees. "They went that way and took that barrel with them! I think Sasuke might be in it!"

"But what about you?" Sakura asked as the others lanced into the foliage.

"I'll be fine," Gohan replied, belting Jiroubou into the trees. He followed up with a blast of ki. The explosion was small, probably because Gohan didn't want to cut loose with friends still nearby. "I know where I need to be. Now get going!" She didn't move. "Sakura! Go already!"

Sakura turned to leave then stopped and turned back. She had a bad feeling about this mission. It felt like they were on a suicide mission for some reason. She bit her lip. Gohan puzzled her in ways she didn't know how to describe, but there was one thing for sure. She didn't want to just leave him here with nothing.

She ran over, threw her arms around her neck and kissed him on the cheek, then was gone after her team before Gohan could fully react to it.

Gohan watched her go with wide eyes, hand going to where she'd kissed him. Somehow, he'd always supposed he would've been embarrassed by being kissed by a girl, but this wasn't that. It made him feel warm inside, happy even. There was also something else there, something that made his stomach leap for joy more than it should've. "What was that about?" Gohan asked the air.

The bushes rustled and Jiroubou extricated himself from a particularly clingy one, glaring death at Gohan the entire time. "Never mind," he muttered, "I've get better things to worry about."

"Trash," Jiroubou snarled, wiping his mouth of the small amount of blood on it. "I will kill you for that!"

He sprinted at Gohan and the other boy prepared to meet him head on.

* * *

And there you go. With this, we've officially started on the home stretch. When this arc finishes out, that'll be the end of Gohan's Dilemma, plus or minus an epilogue chapter or two, then we'll get started in on Gohan's Return. Oh, the ItachiKiller thing. Thank you to all who've let me know they've reported him. It means a lot, so thank you very much. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be getting the hint. As far as I know, he's since posted another chapter and claims to have known nothing of Dilemma prior to starting his story. Somehow I doubt that. He also goes on to say that he intends to make a sequel as well. Gee, I wonder what that's going to be like? Anyway, thanks for the support. So yeah. I'll see you all next chapter.

~WingedFreedom622

**Glossary**

**Doton Kekkai: Dorou Domu (Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison): **Jiroubou creates a dome of earth with his chakra, which can seal up multiple opponents. He then proceeds to drain away their chakra, filling himself up just as if he was eating physical food and killing his enemies all at one time. Unfortunately for him, his chakra isn't evenly distributed throughout the jutsu, meaning that the side that's farthest from Jiroubou is the weak point. Kakashi didn't get a chance to figure that out because Gohan blasted the dome open from the outside. Also, this technique has the longest damn name I've ever seen! Seriously, look it up. Now you see why I went with the short version.

**Shikomujin (Four Black Fog Battle Formation):** I described it but didn't name the jutsu. This is its name. It's the barrel thing Sasuke's in.

**Fukoku Houin (Dark Sealing Method):** The paper tags that Sakon used to seal the top of the Shikomujin. Also described, not named.


	37. Splitting the Team

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

By the way, kudos to anyone who can find the DBZ quote in here. It should be easy. It's obvious.

* * *

The explosion echoed through the forest, a billowing pillar of black smoke blanketing the skies for a second before being blown away. Sakura, having caught up with her team again, looked back, apprehensive.

"Worried about him?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah," she answered. Her sensei was silent for a second.

"Nothing I can tell you will put your mind at ease," he said, "but I can tell you to have faith. Gohan's tough, tougher than most. He'll make it through."

"I hope so."

* * *

Jiroubou hit the ground hard, wheezing and gasping. He glared up at Gohan, who glared right back with hard black eyes, his hair waving in the breeze. "Ready to give up?" Gohan asked. "I don't have time to mess with you. I need to catch up to my team."

"Trash," Jiroubou snarled. "This has only begun!" He surged at Gohan, moving as fast as he could. "Rakanken! Tokken!" He lowered his shoulder. Gohan felt a surge in Jiroubou's ki and leaped up, planted his feet on Jiroubou's upper shoulder, and bounded into the air. The force he used to push of unblanaced the charging teenager and he stumbled.

Gohan appeared in front of him, body low, leg out.

Jiroubou hit the floor again as his legs were taken out from underneath him. Jiroubou kicked back up to his feet. "Bastard," he snarled. "Rakanken! Gangeki!" He punched hard. His side-of-ham fists would've taken any other person off guard, but Gohan had faced worse, stronger, and faster. He was long out of the way by the time Jiroubou's fist reached him.

Jiroubou gagged as he was elbowed once then again in the stomach, his breath blasting from his lungs, before his head exploded with pain when Gohan's heel met Jiroubou's temple. He crashed to the ground again.

"Seriously," Gohan sighed. "This is a waste of both our time. Just get out of my way and we can end this and go our separate ways."

"Never," Jiroubou wheezed, standing up, clutching at his thoroughly bruised midsection. "I'll never surrender. I'd rather die than fail Orochimaru-sama!"

Gohan fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Orochimaru's dead," Gohan replied, "I know. I'm the one who killed him."

Jiroubou smirked. "So you think, trash, so you think." He lurched back to his feet, fighting the waves of nausea he was being assailed with. "But Orochimaru-sama cannot die that easily. You'll see. He's alive. I know he is. And when he finally returns to us, we will hand him Uchiha Sasuke and he will crush you all!"

"I guess I just have to take your word for it," Gohan replied. He settled into a stance. "Sorry, but I'm going to end this now. I can't afford to be delayed any longer."

"End our fight?" Jiroubou asked with a smirk. "Excellent idea. I agree." His skin was abruptly covered in black markings, spreading from somewhere under his tunic. Maybe the back of his left shoulder, if Gohan had to guess. The markings were small triangles, linking together in thin spidery chains that wound over his flesh like worms.

"A Curse Seal!" Gohan breathed, recognizing the effect from the seal that he himself used to bear, one that, thankfully, was gone now. It was a relief to know that he didn't have to constantly worry about it contaminating him and warping his mind, like it had done to Sasuke.

"Yes. A gift to me, given to all of us by our Master, Orochimaru-sama," Jiroubou replied. "A sign of his trust and a reward for our dedication to his cause."

Gohan didn't look too impressed. "You've gotten stronger," he admitted, "but I can tell. You've got a long way to go to get to my level. I'd say you've got brute strength but not much else."

"And how would scum like you know that?" Jiroubou asked. He launched himself at Gohan. The saiyan was surprised by just how much of a speed boost Jiroubou got, but it still wasn't enough to catch him, not even in his base form anyway. Of course, if what Gohan had sensed earlier was true, then Jiroubou was the weakest of the Sound Four. The other three might prove to be a much greater challenge.

He caught Jiroubou's fist on an open palm. The shock wave ruptured the ground and send a strong breeze whisking out from the point of impact, but otherwise didn't do any harm. The more arrogant part of Gohan was pleased to see the look of shock on Jiroubou's face.

"I don't usually say things like this, since it has a habit of biting me in the ass," Gohan said, "but give it up. You can't win." The young warrior tightened his grip on Jiroubou's fist then launched himself into the air, legs scything into the back of Jiroubou's skull and driving him to the ground. Again. "Look, I think any more would make me look like a bully," Gohan told the prostrate shinobi with a sigh. "So why don't we just call it already? No one has to get hurt."

"You keep offering peace," Jiroubou ground out as he struggled upright again. "Yet you refuse to learn that I will not accept your charity." He spun around and hurled a sizable rock at Gohan's face. The saiyan blasted it out of the sky with a fist.

"Fine. Then I'll just leave," Gohan replied, turning and walking away. He didn't notice the black marks on Jiroubou's skin begin to thicken until they covered him from head to toe. He didn't notice how the black marks faded, leaving behind red skin. Nor did he notice how Jiroubou ceased to look like a human and instead resembled an ogre or a troll.

"Have you not been taught?" Jiroubou asked as he flexed his new, monstrous hands. "Never turn your back on an enemy! Rakanken! Tokken!" He shot forward, many times faster than he had been to that point. Gohan, distracted by thoughts of catching up to his friends, didn't react quite fast enough. He cried out as he was rammed by what felt like a block of steel. The ground erupted in a huge cloud when he smashed to earth.

Gohan staggered out of the cloud coughing, both from inhaling the dust and dirt and from being caught off guard like he was. "Soshitsu!" A knee caught him in the gut. Gohan doubled over by reflex. "Assho!" A sharp blow to the back of the head drove his forehead into the hard rock. The impact was enough to make the young Super Saiyan see stars, his thoughts suddenly disjointed and woozy.

"You may have been able to defeat the first level of the seal," Jiroubou said, standing over the other teen, "but the second will be much harder." Gohan grunted as he rolled over. He inhaled sharply when he saw the monstrosity looming above him, many of the finer details blurred out by the light of the early morning sun.

Jiroubou lifted one massive foot and drove it down into Gohan's stomach. Gohan gagged and swallowed back the wave of bile that rose in his throat, the acid stinging as it went back down. Jiroubou's mouth contorted into a cruel sneer as he pressed down harder, grinding his heel into Gohan's sternum. The ground underneath the downed saiyan crumbled and buckled as he was pushed down harder still.

"Damn," Gohan swore, recovering enough to grab Jiroubou's ankle, fighting past the pain and shortness of breath to get enough presence of mind to throw the other boy off of him.

"Gangeki!"

WHAM!

Jiroubou's fist smashed full into Gohan's face, dazing him from the shock of the impact. The Sound Four member proceeded to grab his victim by the throat and headbutted him. Gohan's mind spun, disoriented again, as his skull took the full force of the blow. He hung limp in Jiroubou's grip, trying to gather his wits enough to strike back.

Jiroubou threw him away like he was a ragdoll. He smiled when Gohan didn't move. "So all you were was talk," the shinobi sighed. "How unbecoming. I was expecting more of a challenge out of you." He smashed his hands into the ground and heaved. He pulled a massive ball of rock free of the earth and held it easily over his head. The ball was easily three or more times the size of Jiroubou himself. "Doton! Doryou Dango!"

The ball smashed down on top of the lifeless Gohan, making the earth shake like a drum. "Why don't we just call it already?" Jiroubou asked with a smirk. "You can't win." He turned and made to leap for the trees. He would drop his transformation later, when he was closer to the other members of the Sound Four.

"HWAAAAAAAAAA!"

KABOOM!

The explosion threw Jiroubou to the ground, but he rolled back to his feet and spun around. Where there had once been a giant ball of rock and dirt, now there was a tremendous cloud, presumably all that was left of Jiroubou's jutsu. Jiroubou's black and tawny amber eyes narrowed as he saw a gold blob in the smoke, but was unable to make out what it was.

"Well, that's what I get for getting cocky," Gohan said, walking out of the smoke. Jiroubou started making hand seals as _something_ flew out at him, a golden streak in the morning light.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Sound Four were still running as fast as they could from the Konoha-nin in pursuit of them. "Dammit, those bastards are persistent," Tayuya snarled as she shifted Sasuke's barrel from one shoulder to the other in a (futile) attempt to make the load easier to bear. "Can't we just kill them already and move on with our lives? It would make things so much easier."

"We have to get Sasuke to Orochimaru-sama," Sakon replied sharply. "If we can't even do that, then we've failed him and we don't deserve to live."

"Not that we'll live to regret it," Kidoumaru added helpfully.

"But I think we'll be even more dead if we lead them straight to one of our bases," Tayuya pointed out. "If we don't want Orochimaru pissed off at us, then we need to do something about the trash following us!"

"She does have a point, Sakon," Kidoumaru agreed.

"Right. So which one of you two wants to face off with Sharingan Kakashi, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, the girl who has taken down a squad of our men before, and their friend, who I'm fairly sure is one of Orochimaru-sama's old experiments with the First's DNA?" The silence was deafening until Tayuya threw Sakon the barrel, which he caught roughly.

"I guess if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. I'll take the trash out. It should be fast and I'll meet you back at base."

"Right," Sakon agreed.

"Keh," Kidoumaru snorted. "That's what Jiroubou said and look where he ended up. Getting stalled by some punk, no doubt."

"I'm also a lot stronger than that tub of lard," Tayuya snapped back as she slowed down and stood on a tree branch. She waited for not more than five minutes and heard the whisper of rubber on tree bark. She smiled grimly and brought out her flute, raising it to her lips. "Now, time to dance with the devil."

* * *

Pakkun's ears perked up.

"I hear a flute," he reported.

"A flute?" Sakura asked. "Who'd be playing music at a time like this?"

"It's probably the girl," Kakashi muttered. "She's the one with the three giant ogres."

"She's been sent to stall us," Yamato added. "We'll have to break through her."

"Can't," Kakashi answered, "not if those ogre things are as tough as I think they are."

"So what do we going to do?" Naruto asked.

"We'll have to play by their rules," Kakashi told him. "We'll have to leave one of ours behind so we don't get slowed down and let them get away."

"So who do we leave behind?" Sakura asked.

"I'll do it," Yamato said immediately.

"No," Kakashi cut him off before he could say anymore. "Your Kekkei Genkai is our trump card right now. And besides, you know why we need you here right now." Kakashi shot a glance back at Naruto and Yamato understood. "I'll do it."

"No," Yamato replied instantly. "You're the leader. You need to stay with the team until you either have to fight their leader or something else comes up that needs your skills. Until then, you can't leave."

"And we can't take them as a team," Sakura added. "Because the enemy will get too far ahead."

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "It's a Catch 22. Damned if we do, damned if we don't."

"I'll stay behind," Sakura said finally.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto protested.

"No," Kakashi said. "I'll stay. Yamato will take over the mission."

"But what if there're stronger enemies ahead?" Sakura asked calmly, despite the fluttering in her stomach. "You're strong, Kakahsi-sensei, and so is Yamato-san. You have to face their powerhouses. If it's just one girl, I can handle myself. I did against Temari remember?"

"And you almost died," Kakashi pointed out.

"That was a while ago," Sakura said sullenly. "I've gotten better since then. You didn't think I was sitting on my butt while Gohan-kun and Naruto were out risking their lives, did you? I've improved. I can handle her! Please, Kakashi-sensei! If I can't do anything else for the team, at least let me do this!"

"Getting the team separated, hotheaded people who don't know what's good for them and won't listen to orders," Kakashi murmured bitterly. "Just like _that_ mission."

"You say something, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Huh? No…" He sighed. "Fine. If you think you can handle it, then I believe you, Sakura. Good luck. Get out in front. We're going to run right into them and blow through. You stay behind and stall them."

A minute later and they were coming up on Tayuya and the flute music was loud enough to hear without Pakkun's sensitive ears. Sakura surged forward, outdistancting the onrushing team and lashed out. Tayuya hurled her away without too much effort, or tried to, but Sakura clung on and clenched in close.

"Go!" She shouted.

The remaining three blew right through and moved on.

"What?" Tayuya shouted, distracted for just a second. It was enough and Sakura drove her fist into the other girl's chin. The force of the blow was enough to lift Tayuya right off her feet and fling her wildly across open space.

"Come back alive, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted. Sakura raised a hand in farewell.

"You little, bitch," Tayuya snarled, "you're going to regret fighting me!"

"Nice to meet you too," Sakura shot back, removing her hirai-ate and tying it to its rightful place on her forehead. 'Watch me, Gohan-kun. I'll show you how much I've learned!'

She threw herself at Tayuya, who swung her flute in answer.

* * *

Gohan and Jiroubou bounced apart, glaring daggers at each other. "Impressive, perhaps you aren't trash after all," Jiroubou said, eyeing the Super Saiyan standing before him.

Gohan didn't answer, instead sizing up the enemy before him. Jiroubou was changed almost beyond recognition. He had red skin and warts covered his body. His hair was much longer, no longer a spotty Mohawk but a long mane that stretched right down his back. His eyes were the most changed, even including his new, more athletic, bulk. They were a creepy yellow-amber color and the whites of his eyes had darkened to black. He was also many times faster than he had been. 'I don't want to ascend if I can help it,' Gohan thought. 'I might need it for later. I have to finish him as I am!'

Jiroubou lunged, a huge trashcan sized fist coming at him. "Gangeki!"

Gohan set his feet and prepared to accept the blow. The impact rattled his teeth but he caught it and held on. Jiroubou looked surprised but surged forward. Gohan could feel the ground parting under his heels as he was driven back. He grunted, leaned forward to get his weight on the balls of his feet, and dug in again. He ground to a halt, stopping Jiroubou's tectonic might.

"Oh? So you continue to resist me?"

"I can…do…a…lot more…than…_THAT!_" Gohan grunted as he spun, got Jiroubou up on his back then hurled him into the air. A gold aura blazed into being and Gohan rocketed up from the ground like a missile. He bashed Jiroubou and sent him spinning crazily. The saiyan reversed direction and repeated the process, belting the Sound-nin several times in the span of several seconds.

Jiroubou was no slouch though and he managed to get himself stabilized and drop for the ground. A yell above him made the Sound Four member look up and his black-yellow eyes widened in horror as he spotted Gohan dropping right for him. The big teen crossed his arms above his head. He took the full force of Gohan's axe kick and was blasted into the woods below. The impact shattered trees and buckled rock. Gohan landed lightly as Jiroubou charged from the haze, shoulder down. "Rakanken! Tokken!"

The ground underneath Gohan was trembling but the flinty-eyed Super Saiyan dropped then jumped, spinning in mid-air, getting his body out of the way and smashing his heel into Jiroubou's face. The attack blasted Jiroubou right off his feet. Gohan followed up, driving a fist right into the boy's stomach. Again the ground shattered and trembled.

The second Gohan's feet touched ground, he was seized from behind when Jiroubou lunged from the earth behind him. Gohan grunted in surprise as he was grabbed in a bearhug then lifted right off his feet and smashed headfirst into the dirt. "Houshou!"

The attack smashed right into Gohan's chest. He yelped as his ribs and chest suddenly caught fire with intense pain. Gohan coughed and gagged as the air was driven out of his lungs. Jiroubou reared up for another hit. When he came down, Gohan caught him on his feet and hurled the larger boy through the air. Jiroubou landed on all fours as Gohan kicked back up to his feet. They eyed each other warily again then charged simultaneously.

* * *

Sakura ducked under a swipe from the yellow ogre, its thorn-like weapons gouging the bark of the tree behind her. The ogre followed suit, plowing into the heavy bark, rattling the tree.

"Wha! Whoa!"

Sakura nearly tumbled off her perch. Only a lucky swipe with a chakra-infused hand saved her from plummeting to the ground below. She sighed, relieved and pulled herself back onto her branch. She supposed she could've done the whole acrobatic flip thing, but that would waste her chakra and she had a feeling she would need it all for this battle.

The ogre with the club descended on her, club held high. It smashed through the branch. Sakura's stomach rose into her throat as she and the wood she was still stuck to plummeted earthward.

Tayuya watched the descent, her eyes scornful as her fingers danced on her flute, sending her Doki, if you were to call them by their proper name, after the falling Konoha-nin. The alluring and haunting melody filled the tree boughs, a prelude to Sakura's demise. Of course, Sakura didn't see it that way.

"I guess I'll have to get a little acrobatic," she muttered. She clambered back onto the branch, leg muscles bunching up, much more powerful now than they had been only two or three scant months ago, infused them with chakra, then pushed off. She shot up like a bullet, blasting right through the tightening triangle the Doki were making, caught a branch well above the Sound girl's head, then spun herself onto it.

"Not bad," Tayuya admitted, drawing a fast breath. She set her flute to playing again and the Doki shot up from the ground, where they'd crashed like a runaway train, running up three separate trees. They too launched up for Sakura, who suddenly found herself surrounded. She could see Tayuya's sneer practically screaming 'get out of this one, bitch'.

So she did.

Sakura hurled a smoke bomb at her feet. The ensuing explosion and outpouring of thick white smoke was enough to startle Tayuya for a split second. In that split second, her Doki wavered, giving Sakura just the time she needed to tackle the Doki completely covered in bandages, its head totally inverted from what it was supposed to be. They tumbled towards the ground. Sakura slapped the thing's chin, where it's forehead should've been, using her arm to aid her leap for Tayuya. Tayuya just barely caught the flash of a kunai in the other kunoichi's hand before Sakura was on her, stabbing, slashing, and kicking, trying to land any blow she could.

Steel rang on steel as Tayuya fended off the rush attack with her flute. Tayuya's back bumped into rough bark, her eyes widening for just a second as she realized she was trapped, then she ducked, right as Sakura's fist, complete with kunai, filled the space her head had just been. The wood under the girl's feet shook and trembled slightly, but enough to be noticeable, like how a bass drum could shake the ground. Tayuya took Sakura's legs out from under her with a deft slash of the flute, got to her feet as Sakura hit, then drove down with the flute. Tayuya was confident that she had enough strength to drive it right through the pink-haired bitch and pin her to the tree.

Sakura never gave her a chance.

Even as Tayuya got to her feet, Sakura's heel was slashing up for Tayuya's chin. She didn't have any power behind it, but that wasn't the point. What _was_ the point, however, was that Tayuya jumped back a half step by reflex then launched for a new branch. Even before she landed, she was playing. The Doki lurched into motion, moaning dully through their stitched-shut mouths.

Sakura dodged two out of three. The bandaged Doki with the inverted head shoulder-checked her as she cleared the other two. Sakura took off like she'd been kicked by a world-class football player.

She cried out when she hit unforgiving bark and hardwood. She collapsed, coughing violently, trying frantically to refill emptied lungs. She staggered upright only through sheer will, holding her side with one hand, putting up a feeble guard with the other. 'Not enough,' she though dimly. 'Just taijutsu won't work.' She smiled. 'But I know those things don't move unless she says so. The thing is I have to find out _how_ she makes them move.'

The Doki came for her, backed by the haunting melody of a flute.

* * *

"They're still coming," Kidoumaru said to Sakon.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Sakon replied dryly. "I guess Tayuya and Jiroubou couldn't stop them."

"I don't think that's it," Kidoumaru answered, looking thoughtful. "I think they split up, leaving on man from the squad to deal with each man we've left behind."

"Hmm, if they did htat, then there's a chance we may get out of this after all. That means there's only three of them after us now. Who they are, I don't know, and I don't care. It just means that we can take them out one at a time."

"Either that or they're just desperate to get that guy back," Kidoumaru remarked, nodding to Sasuke's barrel.

"No argument from me." He glanced at the six-armed boy next to him. "Can you take them? Stall another one?"

"Keh," Kidoumaru answered with a smirk. "Who do you think you're talking to?" He hit a branch, his leg muscles compressing, then launched himself back a few trees. He grinned and opened one of his many hands. His sweat, no not sweat but the same golden substance that he'd used on Sakon, welled to the surface and formed a long recurve bow.

An arrowhead appeared in his mouth and he drew it out, the shaft and feathers following just as quickly. He fit the arrow to the bow, raised it to its firing position and drew the string to his cheek. He held that pose for a second or two then his fingers released, the arrow shooting from the bow and streaking off into the mottled shadow and sunlit canopy of the forest.

* * *

Pakkun's nose twitched. "They're leaving another one behind," the dog reported.

"Again? Well, who's staying this time?" Kakashi asked.

"I am!" Naruto said instantly.

"No," Yamato answered. "Kakashi-sempai, I know we need my Kekkei Genkai but we may need Naruto-kun's power more. I trust him to go further without help."

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask. Leaving Naruto and Yamato separated might be risky, especially if the Kyuubi were to come out and play and Naruto couldn't handle it. Kakashi would have no other recourse than to incapacitate the boy, maybe even fatally, if the fox got out of control. Still, Yamato had a point. Despite all its risks, the Kyuubi's chakra was powerful. As long as Kakashi was nearby to step in, there shouldn't be too much of a risk. And besides, if both Kakashi and Yamato left Naruto, then there was nothing to stop him if he _did_ go crazy. Beyond that, there was the issue of Naruto's death.

If Naruto died, not only would the Godaime, Jiraiya, Minato-sensei, Kushina, Iruka, the Sandaime and all the others that Naruto was close to blame him, Naruto's sensei, team leader, and de-facto guardian, for the death but Konoha would also lose its Bijuu, putting the village on unequal terms with the other nations that did have them, and therefore making Konohagakure and by proxy the Fire Country as a whole, look weak.

If Naruto got killed, it could potentially be enough of a catalyst to start a war with Konoha and cause the death of hundreds of thousands. No, Naruto had to live at all costs, if not for being Kakashi's precious student then for being the unwitting guardian, the deterrent that kept the five nations in precarious balance.

"Alright," Kakashi said finally. "You take down this one Yama…" There was a flash of gold in the morning sun. "LOOK OUT!"

Yamato and Kakashi evaded gracefully, the masked jounin grabbing a protesting Naruto by the scruff of his jacket and dragging him along. The arrow from Kidoumaru cracked passed, blowing though the trunk of one tree and embedding deeply in the one behind it.

"Long range attack!" Yamato called. "Be careful!"

"We need a diversion!" Kakashi called back.

"I've got it covered!" Naruto said with a grin, making a cross-shaped seal with his fingers. "Taiju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

"Che," Kidoumaru muttered. "Missed 'em." He spat out another arrow and nocked it. "Time for round two." The boughs were filled with footsteps. A _lot_ of footsteps. It sounded like an army was coming at him, not merely three shinobi. "What's going on? Did they call for reinforcements or something?"

A low roar reached his ears, a roar that quickly rose in pitch and power until it sounded like half of Konoha was coming right at him. Kidoumaru let fly. The arrow streaked into the trees. He heard a cry of pain, then shouts of rage.

"Oryaaaaa!"

Thousands of bodies filled the Sound-nin's vision. Thousands of ninja, all of them wearing the distinctive mark of Konoha. "What is that!" Kidoumaru shouted, staring up at them in horror as they all leaped up, blotting out the sun with their numbers. "What's going on here?"

A streak shot at him. Before he could process what had happened, Yamato had kicked him hard and sent him flying away. "What happened?" Yamato asked as the river of clones vanished, leaving only the ANBU and Sound-nin behind. Kakashi and Naruto had moved on when the first wave had crashed against the six-armed boy. "You fell for our trick, that's what happened."

"Bastard! Were all those yours?"

Yamato outright laughed. "I wish." His face and demeanor grew serious. " I hope you're ready to die, boy, because I won't go easy on you, even if you are a kid." Yamato made a series of hand seals. "Mokuton!"

* * *

Jiroubou hit the ground hard. He bounced then lay still before quivering and struggling upright. He tried to slow his heart and racing breath but found he was unable to. Gohan, on the other hand, didn't look anywhere near as tired as Jiroubou was. "Trash!" He sprinted forward again. "Gangeki!"

Gohan ducked the blow and swept his enemy's feet out from underneath him. Jiroubou felt his stomach swoon as he was suddenly airborne. Gohan's fist spiked the ogre-like boy into the ground hard enough to make the trees shake. Jiroubou gagged, coughed, and spat blood. Rage awakened within him and he swiped at Gohan with a wordless scream. Gohan bounced backward long before the attack reached him.

Jiroubou struggled upright, wiping his mouth on one large arm.

Gohan watched the Sound Four member with appraising eyes before dropping his stance. "That's enough," Gohan said, his hair fading to black, along with his eyes, the overbearing pressure that had been choking Jiroubou for the last few minutes vanishing. "There's no point in continuing now."

"What?" Jiroubou snarled.

"You can't go on," Gohan replied. "You're power's dropping with every blow. You're not even a challenge to me anymore. It would be pointless to keep going. I've heard that your Cursed Seals corrode your body and mind, but I didn't think it took this much of a toll." Gohan turned and started walking away.

"Hey! Where are you going, you bastard!" Jiroubou shouted angrily. "We're not done here!"

"Yes we are," Gohan replied without stopping. "I have no desire to keep at this. I hate fighting and I hate being a bully. To continue like this would make me keep doing both and I'm sick of it as it is. And besides, the way my luck goes, I'll need the rest of my strength for what's coming. See you around, though I hope for your sake we never meet again."

Jiroubou physically trembled. His teeth ground together so hard he thought he felt one crack, lances of pain blasting up through his jaw. This brat…this brat thought he could just walk away from this fight? This wasn't a fight to Jiroubou, this was a mission that he'd undertaken at the behest of his master to retrieve something very important to him. It was expected that they come back alive with the objective or not at all. To be pitied like this, to be fought like this, then told he simply wasn't a challenge anymore…it was infuriating. If Jiroubou came crawling back to his master like this, if he came back having failed his objective, to kill this Son Gohan, and said that he'd been simply brushed aside like a piece of trash…NO!

"Don't take me so lightly, trash," he ground out, biting every word off angrily. "Don't look down on me. We're not done here. Did you here me! WE'RE NOT DONE!"

Gohan stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Yes," he said simply, "yes we are."

Something broke within Jiroubou, something crucial. Jiroubou screamed as loud as he could. "We're not done until one of us is dead!" He screamed, running at Gohan as fast as he could. "I'll follow you to the ends of the earth, Son Gohan! I'll do whatever it takes! I'll never let you have a moment's rest!"

Gohan sighed as he watched Jiroubou run at him. He crouched, preparing to take to the skies. "Do what you want," he said, muscles bunching.

"I'll kill you! Then I'll kill all your friends!" Jiroubou reached Gohan and reared up, hands raised high to kill the boy in front of him. "All of them! The silver-haired one, the blond, and the girl! All of them!"

Gohan spun around, transforming in a blaze of blinding light. "Never threaten my friends," he snarled, gathering ki in his cupped hands. "NEVER! KAMEHAMEHAAAAAA!"

Jiroubou screamed as the blast enveloped him and simply washed him away in a blaze of blue-white light. The blast rocked the area, a brilliant dome of ki rising into the sky, humming up the scale as it did.

Gohan stood up and looked around, dispassionate. The forest around him had been leveled. There was a small scorch mark in the center of the perfectly circular clearing, the trees that had been nearest the blast simply gone, stumps and all, the ones further out blasted right over, leaning against their comrades, as if they'd fainted and been caught by their compatriot trees. "Never threaten my friends," he repeated, dropping his transformation. "I guess you are Orochimaru's student. He made the same mistake you did."

Gohan's aura flared again, blue this time, and blasted into the sky.

* * *

Surprised? Yeah, me too. Well not really. Actually, you may be surprised. In order to finish of Dilemma, I'm thinking of just blitzing my way through the remaining chapters, uploading them as I finish them, because I think we're all eager to move onto to return. So for now at least, that's my plan. If it changes, you'll find out in the next AN. Sorry if Gohan seemed a little OC here, like he did to me. Of course, Jiroubou being so much weaker than Gohan is...well, it was kind of inevitable. Don't forget, Jiroubou's the weakest of the Sound Four and Gohan, the way he is now, is as strong as Orochimaru, or at least when Gohan's an SS2 he is. That means it would take someone like, say, Kidoumaru to match him. Oh and before I forget, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers. To those of you who aren't from America...well, Happy Thanksgiving anyway, or at least have a good week.

So until next time (which may not be that long),

~WingedFreedom622

**Glossary**

**Rakanken (Arhat Fist): **Jiroubou's taijutsu style. I think I listed off most of his techniques at some point in the chapter. I would've added a few new ones, but my Japanese isn't that good. I think I could carry on a _very_ basic conversation but that's it.

**Doton: Doryou Dango (Earth Style: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling):** Pretty much a giant rock ball that Jiroubou throws at someone. Can't really see Gohan having much trouble turning it into a whole bunch of smaller Doryou Dangos.


	38. And When You Attack

Disclaimer: Own Nothing

There's another quote from another anime hidden in here. Find it ^_^

* * *

Sakura gagged as she doubled over, trying to choke back the bile that rose in her throat. Her latest attack on Tayuya had been thwarted by an attack from behind by those damned ogre things and she'd paid for it when the musician girl had hit her from the front while Sakura had been distracted.

"Now this is just getting ridiculous," Tayuya scoffed, standing over her, arms folded. She kicked Sakura in the stomach again. Sakura yelled in pain as she sailed out over open space and hit another tree. The kunoichi struggled upright again and glared at her opponent through a curtain of strawberry hair. "Oh? Looks like you have some fight in you after all." Tayuya raised the flute to her lips again and began to play.

Sakura knew what was coming. Sometime before, she'd established that Tayuya used her flute to control the ogres. Of course, actually getting that flute meant something else entirely. Sakura would love nothing more than to use Tayuya's own ogres against her, but if the flute was the key, then the notes it made had to be even more important. Sakura wasn't musically inclined, never had been hence her career choice, nor did she know the sequence of notes she needed to control the damn things. If she played the wrong note, one of three unpleasant things could happen. One, the ogres wouldn't do anything. Two, the ogres would turn on her and kill her anyway. Three, the flute was booby-trapped and with her luck would blow up right in her face.

The monstrosities surged forward, coming at her with moans deep in their stitched-shut mouths. Sakura didn't have enough energy for an evasion right at the moment so she lurched drunkenly and allowed gravity to do the work for her, dragging her off the branch and towards the forest floor, dozens of deadly feet below her.

Sakura managed to snag a passing branch with chakra-enhanced fingers. Her shoulder screamed in protest as she was jerked roughly to a stop, dangling for a moment before pulling herself up and rolling onto her back, trying not to think about the throbbing pain in her shoulder, the blossoming bruises all over her body, and the multitude of cuts and scratches, some nasty, some minor annoyances.

She pulled herself up and cradled her abused arm. It didn't feel broken or dislocated, but it still hurt like hell. Maybe she'd sprained it or something. She didn't know. She fished in her pouch and pulled out a soldier pill. She popped it in her mouth and swallowed it down. A moment or two went by then strength and clarity of thought returned to her. Sakura stood up again, feeling full of energy, almost to the point of overflowing, but knew that it was only a temporary rush. She could fight for three days with no break, but that didn't stop her from exhausting her chakra and killing herself that way.

The Doki were on her then, pushing her back. Sakura fended off their attacks and tried to retaliate, but found that she had no way to do so. They were too fast, too agile, and it took everything she knew to stay on even footing with them. 'A second's delay,' she thought as she ducked and weaved. 'That's all I need, one second's delay.' A thought occurred to her. Would it work? She had no idea, but couldn't see a reason why it wouldn't. 'At this point, what have I got to lose?' Now it was just in the implementation.

She would need to wait for a distract….KABOOOM!

A huge explosion rocked the forest. Off to her left, in the direction of Gohan and Jiroubou, a massive dome of blue-white energy rose over the treetops and kept climbing. It was humming, the sound reaching the two girls right after the shockwave hit them, nearly blowing them off their trees.

"What the fuck was that!" Tayuya breathed, looking towards the dome. Sakura's hands flew together, seizing the chance and implementing her plan. "Don't tell me that fatass actually lost to that brat!"

Sakura sighed, both relieved for Gohan-kun, since he was the only one she knew who could make an explosion like that, and that Tayuya didn't seem to notice what was going on. She drew her kunai and lanced for Tayuya, moving quickly. The Oto-nin's attention was drawn by the motion but by that time, Sakura was on her. She swung wildly with the flute, the holes whistling idly, but missed as Sakura ducked under the blow with a half second to spare and stabbed.

Tayuya spun, trying to get out of the way. She felt a line of cold pain draw itself across her arm, blood running down in a small river. Tayuya tried to get away again but Sakura stayed with her, suddenly always one step ahead of her. Tayuya snarled as she found herself on the defensive, harried and harassed by the sudden persistence of the pink-haired kunoichi.

No matter what Tayuya tried, Sakura was always a half-second faster, her kunai drawing painful cuts on Tayuya's arms, hands, and fingers. One or two was even enough to make Tayuya worry about it costing her the fight. She growled a few choice curses in her throat, feinted one way, then the other, then smashed her flute into Sakura's exposed ribs as she tried to lunge in and get another hit.

Sakura cried out and dropped her kunai, clutching at her ribs. Tayuya grabbed her by the hair and threw her bodily. The Doki surged forward on the strains of Tayuya's flute. Sakura hurled a smoked bomb at her feet. The thick white cloud obscured everything.

The kunoichi charged from the smokescreen as the Doki entered into it, oblivious. The flute's tone changed, warbling a new tune and Sakura glanced behind her to see the monstrosities hot on her tail. They attacked as one. The huge girth of the Doki and the force of their attacks hid Sakura from view, but when they separated, they revealed Sakura, impaled on the yellow one's fist.

She thrashed weakly for a second, then the life left her eyes and she slumped over, dead.

* * *

Yamato threw himself into a shoulder roll. Golden arrows stitched the ground behind him, one after another. He came out of the roll and hurled a pair of kunai into the trees in the same motion.

Kidoumaru didn't even blink as the twin knives smashed into bark next to his head. Rather, he let fly with another arrow barrage, the hands that weren't occupied with handling the bow busy secreting, shaping, and nocking arrows to be fired. What with all his hands, he kept Yamato in motion through the simple fact of sheer rate of fire.

"That Kekkei Genkai is getting to be rather problematic," Yamato muttered to himself. "I'm going to have to get around it if I want to get a hit in on him." His eyes narrowed as he found a split-second lull in the fire. It was all he needed. Yamato lanced for Kidoumaru's location like a bullet. His hands were already weaving seals before he even had the six-armed boy in sight. "Mokuton! Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu!"

The tree Kidoumaru stood on practically exploded with growths, wooden blocks that were thicker than Kidoumaru was tall. They all arched for him like the tentacles of a monster from some kind of sick manga. Kidoumaru was suddenly busy trying to avoid getting squashed by the tree that suddenly seemed like it wanted to eat him. His bowstring twanged again and again, shattering the onrushing blocks, but that didn't slow them in the least. If anything, it made them even more dangerous because now they had many vicious spikes adorning the crowns.

'I just can't catch a break with this guy,' Kidoumaru thought. He landed on one of the wooden pillars. It didn't move or try to attack him and Kidoumaru figured that the jutsu had run its course. Naturally the tree looked like hell but at least it wasn't trying to eat him anymore.

"Doton! Doryusou!"

The earth erupted, spikes of rock erupting up at Kidoumaru. He leaped up the remains of the Mokusatsu Shibari, trying to evade. He flung his body towards another tree when he reached the upper limits, landing safely. The boy stopped and looked around.

"Jeeze this a way more difficult level than I thought," he muttered. "If I'm not careful it'll be game over for me instead of him."

"I'll take that as a complement."

Kidoumaru spun, golden knives appearing in his hands as he spun around. He hit nothing but air but looked up when a shadow passed across the upper limits of his vision. Yamato hung inverted, already completing a sequence. "Mokuton!" The ANBU's arm transformed into a wooden pillar and streaked down towards Kidoumaru, who looked up at the onrushing attack, eyes narrowing as his body was covered in black marks that thickened and covered him.

Yamato watched as his attack smashed home, throwing up an obscuring cloud. A faint rustle made him throw his body into a dodge, the world spinning crazily around him as he spun. A hail of golden senbon smashed into the ground right where he'd been standing before. When the dust settled, the ground was riddled with thousands of holes, no bigger than the tip of a pen.

Kidoumaru, in his horrific Seal Level 2, dropped to a branch over Yamato's head. He leered down at the Konoha-nin. "Sorry," he said, creating senbon in each of his six hands with that golden armor ability of his. "But this is game over!"

Yamato only glared, taking in Kidoumaru's changed form with apparent disinterest while he paid attention to every little detail, like the long, gray-white hair, the dark red skin, the horns on his shoulders, elbows, and forehead, the tawny and black eyes, and, most importantly, the third eye that was set into his forehead. 'The Cursed Seal must be responsible for this,' he thought, even as he prepared himself to explode into motion. 'The question becomes how do I take him down with a minimal of risk from any special abilities?'

"Trying to figure out how to get around my second form?" Kidoumaru asked with a grin, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs. "Won't do you much good, I can tell you!" The only outward sign of shock was the twitch in Yamato's eye.

"We won't know until we try, now will we?" Yamato shot back.

"You don't get it," Kidoumaru said, grin widening. "You can't hit what you can't see!" Then he exploded into a cloud of smoke and was gone.

"Kage Bunshin!" Yamato breathed.

A golden arrow exploded from his chest. Yamato had just enough time to look startled before blood leaked out of his mouth and he toppled sideways onto the grass, motionless.

Kidoumaru's lip curled in a snarl as he watched Yamato fall. "Dammit." He started bounding through the trees, randomly changing direction to keep Yamato from guessing his location. "I can't believe he managed a Kawarimi that fast." The third eye blinked, vertically instead of normally. "If it hadn't been for my third eye, I never would've noticed."

Yamato let out a silent breath from the tree he hid behind. "Damn that was close. Thank God I was able to hear the arrow coming." He smiled dangerously. "Now, I think it's time I get serious. And to show just how serious I am…" He reached into his backpack and took out a porcelain mask worked into the shape of a cat. "Let's put this on, shall we?" The mask slid onto his face, a comforting and concealing weight. The second that happened, Yamato the Jounin ceased to exist and Tenzou the ANBU returned. All color bled from Tenzou's body, replaced with a dry, earthy brown. He backed into the tree and melded with it.

* * *

"Are we catching him, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "We're gaining," he replied. "I'm worried that it might not be fast enough though. We're only about an hour out from the border. If they cross that then we'll lose them."

"Why? Can't we just chase them down?"

"Sure we can. If you feel like starting a war over it. We cross the border without prior arrangement and it'll be that country's right to attack us. For all they know we're an advance team for an invading army."

"That's stupid!" Naruto said. "And paranoid!"

"You're forgetting that we're shinobi," Kakashi replied. "As a politician in the enemy country, what would you think when a team of shinobi shows up in your territory unannounced? Paranoia is a lot better than complacency after all."

Naruto didn't have much to say to that and instead focused his attention on where they were going. There was silence then the blond spoke again. "Hey, do we really have to kill Sasuke?"

"Can't do it?" Kakashi asked. He jerked a thumb behind him. "The village is that way."

"No! That's not what I meant! I mean…do we really have to kill him to bring him back?"

Kakashi was silent a moment then decided to lay it all out for the blond. "Our orders say dead or alive," the jounin replied. "I'm sure Tsunade-sama would want him alive, if only to keep a Sharingan in Konoha's hands, but I don't think she'll shed too many tears if we have to finish Sasuke off. Of course, I don't want to kill him either, but Sasuke may not give us much choice."

"Huh?"

"Have you paid attention to Sasuke much, Naruto?" Kakashi asked. "Recently I mean."

"Uh…yeah. Now that you mention it he has been acting strange since…since a long time ago."

Kakashi looked him in the eye as they bounded through the trees. "Do you know why?"

Naruto opened his mouth to reply no when he suddenly realized something by the way Kakashi was looking at him. "Wait, Sasuke won't come back to Konoha because of me?"

"Partly," Kakashi agreed. "And partly because of Gohan and partly because of Sakura."

"Gohan and Sakura-chan and me?" Naruto asked. "What's he got against us?"

"Sasuke wants nothing more than to kill his brother, Uchiha Itachi," Kakashi replied. "You've faced Itachi, you know how strong he is, how dangerous an opponent he'd be." Kakashi pretended to ignore Naruto's shiver. "Sasuke also wants to rebuild his clan to the prominence it used to have," the jounin went on, "but he thinks that as long as Itachi lives, they'll risk another massacre. That's not entirely true. I'm not saying I know Itachi well, but he doesn't do anything without cause."

"So what cause did he have to slaughter the entire Uchiha clan?" Naruto asked.

"That's a good question. And that's why it's so strange that Itachi even did the deed. What cause did he have to butcher everyone he knew, loved, and protected? Sasuke was the only one who knows and according to him, it's cause Itachi wanted to test his strength, nothing more. That's not like Itachi. He had a reputation in the ANBU for going out of his way to avoid flaunting his strength. I'm speculating but I've never been able to shake the feeling that there was more to this massacre that met the eye.

"But back to Sasuke. Even if he brings back the clan, he's afraid that Itachi'll come back and destroy everything he worked so hard to gain. He's gotten into the mindset that Itachi is the best that there is. That's not true. There's always someone better than you out there, but Sasuke can't see that. A large part of that is the brotherly affection Sasuke has for Itachi, even if it is locked away very deep inside him. Sasuke spent his entire life looking up to Itachi. It's only natural that Sasuke be obsessed with being the best, because in his mind, you have to be the best to kill the best.

"Sasuke has devoted his entire life to that single ideal and it's what drives him to make the decisions he does. It's why he was so strong in the Academy. His thirst for revenge and drive to kill his brother are all he has now."

"But how do Sakura-chan, Gohan, and I figure into this?"

"Look at what happened early in your genin career. When Team Seven was first formed, Sasuke was the top of the class in everything except tests. He thought, wrongly, that he was ready for Itachi. Then comes the mission to Wave with Tazuna. We were attacked by those two chuunin. Sasuke handled it flawlessly while you froze up." Kakashi held up a hand to forestall the spluttering argument he could see coming. "Let me finish. Sasuke was right to be proud of his achievement. After all how many genin can take down two chuunin almost unaided?

"Remember that I said the next battles would be tougher? I wasn't wrong. Zabuza was a big threat but before that, we got a little unknown added to the equation."

"Gohan."

"Right. Sasuke wasn't really affected by that. He was interested like the rest of you, but that was about it. He saw that Gohan was either your age or only a year or two older. He didn't think Gohan was better than he was. The battle with Zabuza proved him wrong. Then Haku showed up. In the span of maybe an hour, Sasuke was shown two people his age with more skill and power than he did. He got jealous."

Naruto looked pensive. "Okay. That's Gohan and Haku, but it still doesn't explain Sakura-chan and I."

"I'm getting to that," Kakashi replied. "Now Sasuke has this jealousy sitting in him and it grates on him. Notice that he's never hung out with Gohan on friendly terms. He's always either very frosty or downright rude to Gohan too. Then there comes the Chuunin exams. Sasuke is ejected while you, Gohan, and Sakura all make it through. Sakura starts training with Gohan and you land yourself one of the Sannin as an instructor. Sasuke was training with me, yes, but he never anticipated you and Sakura growing as much as you did. In the exams, you showed that you weren't the Dead Last Dumbass that everyone thought you were. In the exams, you came into your own Naruto.

"You took down Neji, a prodigy, and showed the true spirit of a Konoha shinobi. You also showed Sasuke just how much you narrowed the gap between the two of you. It hurt his ego severely. Then Gohan fought Lee and revealed his Super Saiyan transformation, showing Sasuke that not only was Gohan far beyond him, he was stronger than Sasuke had ever dared to imagine. So you, the Academy's Dead Last was catching up, the new guy was fantastically talented and strong and far beyond, and Sakura was also showing that she was more than some helpless little girl. She lost to Temari, yes, but Sakura has only trained harder, polishing what Gohan taught her and rolling her own ideas into it. You just wait, Sakura'll be someone to watch in a year or two.

"So, now do you see why Sasuke left the village?"

"I think so. He saw that he wasn't as good as he thought he was, right?"

"Bingo. Suddenly Sasuke went from being the best to being just another one of the promising genin in the village. It hurt him, Naruto, more than any physical wound ever could."

"Then why didn't he just ask for help? Any of us would've!"

"Pride goeth before a fall," Kakashi answered. "If Sasuke asked you for help, it would mean admitting to himself that he wasn't the best, that he wasn't superior. He'll let himself be taught be an older superior, like me or, God forbid, Orochimaru, but he'll never accept help from you, Sakura, and especially Gohan. It would mean admitting that he's not ready to restore his clan. Not ready to take on Itachi."

"Which is his ambition." Naruto said, eyes downcast. He could see Kakashi's point. Sasuke wouldn't listen to Naruto. To Sakura-chan. To Gohan. He wouldn't listen to anyone of them maybe. Kakashi might be able to get through to him, but even that was a very big might. "So you're saying that we have to kill him?"

"The chance is very high," Kakashi replied somberly. "Unless he's got a some way of getting away from the two of us, I'd say it's almost inevitable that we fight. And if we do, Sasuke will be aiming to kill. We're standing in the way of his ambition. He won't forgive us for that. If we want to live through this, we have to fight with the intent to kill as well."

"I…can't do it," Naruto said finally.

"What?" Kakashi asked, knowing full well what the blond had said.

"I can't kill Sasuke," Naruto replied, looking rather teary-eyed. "He's the first friend I ever had, even if we didn't get along. Gohan's the brother I never had, the first person to acknowledge me without me having to earn it first, but still, Sasuke was the first one I'd ever felt…I don't know how to describe it."

"Kindred spirits," Kakashi said. "Every kid in the village had a parent, a family to come home to. You and Sasuke were two of a kind. Neither of you had family and you were both outcasts in a way. You were the hated Kyuubi host and Sasuke was the tragic child from the Uchiha clan. You could relate to each other."

"Yeah," Naruto answered softly. "Kakashi-sensei, I can't fight Sasuke. If the other guy stays behind, I want to fight him. I can do that but Sasuke…I just couldn't do it. Not to kill."

Kakashi was silent for so long that Naruto thought for sure that the jounin was disappointed in him somehow but when he finally spoke, Kakashi's tone was warm and proud. "I'm proud of you, Naruto," he said, smiling over at Naruto. "You've come such a long way in a short amount of time. You're not the Dead Last anymore, not by a long shot. I only hope I live long enough to see you become Hokage."

Naruto brightened. "You really think I can do it?"

Kakashi outright laughed, something the genin had never heard before. "I'd say it's only a matter of time. And I look forward to the day it happens." The jounin grew somber. "Now come on, we have a mission to complete." He shot ahead with renewed speed.

"Yes sir!" Naruto crowed and doubled his pace as well.

* * *

Tayuya stood over Sakura's body, leering down at it. "Stupid bitch," she said viciously, kicking the corpse. "Stupid little whore. Stupid piece of trash!" With each insult she hurled, Tayuya kicked the corpse again and again. "This should teach you to stand up to Orochimaru-sama!" She dismissed her Doki and drew back to give Sakura's body again. When her foot connected, Sakura exploded. The white cloud of smoke whooshed over Tayuya, making her choke and gag.

Something tackled her and drove her off her feet. The assailant started raining blows down on Tayuya. Every one of them felt like she was getting hit in the skull by a hammer. In seconds, Tayuya's face was blood and bruised. Tayuya screamed, not in pain but in rage and primal frustration, and swung blindly. She connected by sheer chance. The new attacker was thrown off and Tayuya scrambled back to her feet. She felt her face pale when she saw who attacked her.

"You!"

"Yeah me," Sakura said, huffing slightly from shortness of breath.

"But how!"

"Kawarimi. Never discount the basics."

"You little slut! I'm gonna kill you!" Tayuya reached for her flute, but her fingers groped naught but air. "What?" She looked down and sure enough, the leather loop that usually held her flute was empty.

"Looking for something?" Sakura asked, holding it up, the metal glinting in the sun.

"When did you…that attack just now! You were waiting for me to send my Doki away! You wanted me to!"

"Took you long enough," Sakura replied. Her fist quivered for a moment. Tayuya had just a half second to wonder what the girl was doing then the flute shattered, falling away in slivers and chunks. She drew a pair of kunai. "Now I'm going to kill you."

Tayuya started chuckling. "You?" She scoffed. "You can't kill me! Let me tell you something, you primped up little princess. There's more to us than you know." Black marks spread across Tayuya's skin and thickened. Bone, or what looked like bone, erupted from her head until she was crowned with the white spikes. Her hair lengthened and her skin turned a dark brown.

"What is that?" Sakura murmured.

Tayuya guessed what Sakura was wondering. "It's the second level of the Cursed Seal," she explained. "I'm invincible when I'm like this."

'Invincible?' Sakura thought. 'No, that can't be. There's no such thing as invincible. Gohan-kun taught me that….'

* * *

"_Dammit!" Sakura swore as she hit the ground. She rolled upright and glared daggers at Gohan, who stood easily a few paces away. They'd been out of the village for a while now and Gohan was showing Sakura basic kata, strikes, kicks, and other taijutsu movements, gauging, he claimed, where her strengths and weaknesses lay. Of course, it wasn't helped by the fact that Sakura was still wearing those damned weights, but Gohan had recently shifted his training style, moving more towards sparring than actually teaching. "How are you always one step ahead of me!"_

_Gohan laughed. "Experience," he replied. "Piccolo was a hard taskmaster. You think I'm bad? I'm not doing a tenth of what he did to me." He drew himself up, scowled sharply, and deepened his voice to a passable imitation of his mentor's. "Get up, boy! Attack me! You haven't got all day! The enemy won't wait and neither will I!" The saiyan laughed. "I was sore for a week after that one." He jerked his thumb towards their campfire. "Come on, let's eat."_

_They sat down and dug into a hearty meal that Gohan had made out of the wild herbs and game he'd found around the area. Sakura glanced repeatedly at him, trying to be coy but he caught her quickly enough. "Something on your mind?" he asked._

"_Not really, it's just that…I wonder if I'm good enough?" Sakura asked. "I mean, I've heard the stories you tell about Cell, Bojack, Frieza, and all those others and they seem so…I don't know, invincible. Then I think of Orochimaru and how he compares and he seems just as invincible! How am I ever going to measure up to _that_!"_

_Gohan looked pensive and he chewed for a second before answering. "Never believe that there's an invincible opponent, Sakura," he replied. "Everyone has a weakness. Everyone is mortal. Everyone can be killed. Don't ever lose sight of that."_

"_But what about two-on-one?" she asked. "or three-on-one?"_

"_It doesn't change anything," Gohan answered. He looked up at the stars, just starting to peek out against the gold and pink sunset. "Piccolo told me once that every fight, no matter the number of opponents, is a one on one fight. In the moment they attack, it's just you and your enemy. The others are secondary until they attack. If they attack together, one will always attack first. You deal with him then the other. Do what you have to until they're all down and either dead or incapacitated."_

"_And how do I do that?" She asked. "I'm scared I'm going to let my friends down. Let _you_ down as my teacher."_

"_I asked my Dad that when we trained in the Time Chamber back home," Gohan replied. "I was so scared of being defeated by Cell and letting everyone down. Dad had a quote that he said he picked up from Master Roshi way back in the day."_

"_What was it?"_

_Gohan's eyes were far away, his mind clearly on another memory._ _"When you defend yourself, you don't let them hurt you. When you protect someone, you don't let them die." He rose and faced a tree, a good twenty paces distant. "And should the need arise, when you attack…" He thrust out with a fist. The tree lurched and toppled over backwards, shaking the ground with its impact. "You kill!" Gohan turned back to Sakura. "If you ever find yourself lacking because of fear, make those words your conviction and use them to bolster yourself. You'd be surprised how well it works."_

_

* * *

_

Sakura smiled to herself as she remembered everything Gohan had taught her and how much he'd come to mean to her. Sakura didn't know if it could be called love, but she was willing to explore the possibility and she made a promise to herself to let Gohan know exactly how she felt, no mincing words, no chickening out. "You're not invicible," Sakura said to Tayuya. "No one is. Not me, not you, and especially not Orochimaru."

"Watch it, bitch," Tayuya snarled. "I'll kill you right now!" She shot forward. She was fast. _Really_ fast. Sakura's world slowed down to a crawl and Gohan's voice came to her. "When you defend," she whispered, catching Tayuya's blow solid and turning it aside, "you don't let them hurt you."

"I'll kill you!" Tayuya shrieked. "Then I'll kill that mop top bastard and everyone else on your shitty team!" She lashed out with a roundhouse that would take Sakura's head from her shoulders. Sakura was already underneath the blow. Tayuya missed, her momentum spinning her around, giving Sakura a wide-open view of her back.

"When you protect someone," Sakura whispered, "you don't let them die." She attacked, putting everything she had behind it, all her strength, her body weight, her chakra, all of it went into this one final blow. "And when you attack…"

She hit Tayuya hard. Tayuya screamed, her body bowing outward, stretching further and further as Sakura tried to punch _through_ her. Something gave way under Sakura's fist and Tayuya took off like a rocket. She smashed through trunk after trunk before slamming hard into the ground and grinding to a stop. Sakura's jade eyes shone with a fiery determination that matched Gohan and Naruto at their best. "You kill!" She finished.

She slumped to her knees, looking at her fist. A few of her fingers were dislocated and her knuckles were split but she'd won. She'd _won!_ Sakura fell back, spread eagle, laughing in sudden relief and awe. "Of course," she added, "a genjutsu that made you attack a half second too early probably didn't help either."

Finally the fatigue and exertion overtook her and Sakura sank into the welcoming darkness.

* * *

And there's another chapter down. Sorry this took so long. The last two fast chapters kinda burned me out and then I had winter break and I didn't feel like doing much of anything during that time. But now I'm back and I hope to get the next chapter up much faster than this one.

~WingedFreedom622

**Glossary**

**Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu (Wood Style: Smothering Binding Technique): **Lots of wooden tendrils come out of Yamato's arm. He uses them to ensnare opponents. In my story, he can also use an entire tree to do the jutsu.

**Doton: Doryusou (Earth Style: Rising Stone Spears): **Makes spikes of rock come out of the ground and try to impale the enemy.


	39. Step Into My Web

Disclaimer: I own nothing

By the way, if you want to see an interesting and well-written 'what-if' about Gohan's Dilemma, check out Gohan's Dilemma: Sasuke's Grudge by BLAD3s7. Also know that if you want to write something similar, or do a fan art or whatever, feel free. Just don't forget to give credit where credit is due and send me the link so I can see it too! ^_^

* * *

Gohan landed next to Sakura. He'd been watching the entire battle from the skies high above. The two warring kunoichi had never noticed him. There had been a few times when Gohan had been ready to intervene, like when Sakura looked to have been killed by the Doki, but he managed to restrain himself and not do anything. A big part of being a teacher was learning when to step back, have faith in the student, and let them dig themselves out of their own holes.

Gohan's faith hadn't been misplaced. Ever since the Chuunin Exams, when he'd learned that he'd neglected to train Sakura's reflexes, Gohan had been wondering if he'd handicapped her, dooming her to constantly hold back, even in situations where she could get killed. Apparently Sakura had found a way around that. He made a mental note to work with her some more when he got the chance.

"Good job, Sakura," he said to the sleeping girl, scooping her up in his arms and floating down to the forest floor. He set her down in the cleft of some roots and stepped back, giving her one fond smile, then launched into the sky again and shot for wherever the others were. The Sound Four were a dangerous bunch that much was true, but Sasuke would be even more so if he ever got that second level thing that Jiroubou had displayed. It had made Jiroubou, an otherwise mediocre threat, powerful enough to necessitate an ascension to Super Saiyan. How much more dangerous would Sasuke or someone like him be? Gohan shuddered and tried not to think about it. "Please don't let me be too late!"

* * *

Sakon dashed through the trees, trying hard to make it through to the other side of the forest and the Valley of the End that lay beyond. If he could just clear that valley…if he could just make it.

He lurched as the barrel suddenly heaved on his back. Sakon stumbled, missed a step, and plummeted for the ground. He threw the barrel away and landed heavily on all fours. The barrel crashed to the ground a few feet away and shattered. Amid the sawdust, Sasuke stood up and faced Sakon.

The Sound Four leader whistled and grinned appreciatively. "Wow," he said as the seal's markings fade from the other boy's face. "Not too shabby."

Sasuke glanced down at his hand and made a fist, eyes dark and flinty, relishing the power that was suddenly coursing through him, energizing him better than any stimulant or other kind of drug. "I feel…powerful," Sasuke said.

"You are, now," Sakon answered, standing. "Now go. The Valley of the End is just ahead. Get across it and you're home free. And I suggest you hurry. A group of ninja from your old village is heading right for us."

"Then let them come," Sasuke said. "I'll kill them."

"No!" Sakon said emphatically. "They have to be hunter-nin. ANBU. Do you really think you can take down a squad of ANBU?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I have to test my power at some point don't I?"

"Then do it _later_!" Sakon insisted. "If you get caught here, if you die now, then it'll have all been for nothing and you'll never get your shot at your brother! Is that what you want? To get killed here, dying like a dog because you were to stupid to know when to run and when to fight?"

Sasuke punched Sakon in the face, driving him to his knees and grabbing him by the shirt, lifting him up to eye level. "Never speak to me like that again," Sasuke growled. "Now let's get going." He let Sakon slump to the dirt.

"No can do," Sakon replied. "There's still two more of them coming after us. I'll stay here and stall them. You go on ahead." He passed a small slip of paper to Sasuke. "Map to the hideout. Don't lose it or I'll kill you myself."

"Suit yourself," Sasuke replied and made to leap away.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi called, landing right behind them, Naruto right beside. "Don't move! On orders from Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure, I am placing you under arrest!"

Sasuke turned back, openly smiling, though the humor didn't reach his eyes. "A squad of ANBU, huh?" He asked Sakon, his words sarcastic and derisive. "This is hardly an ANBU squad. It's just Kakashi and the Dead Last."

Both the Konoha-nin looked pained by the very real scorn in Sasuke's voice.

"Sasuke," Naruto murmured, looking hurt. "Sasuke" he called louder. "Come back! Don't do this! Don't make us drag you back!"

"Drag me back?" Sasuke scoffed, turning his back on them. "Like you could." He blurred up and into the trees.

"Dammit!" Kakashi snarled, moving to jump after him.

"Ah ah ah," Sakon said, getting in the way. "You have to go through me first."

"Naruto, I'm going on ahead," Kakashi said. "Can you handle him?"

"Better believe it!" Naruto shot back, making a hand seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A swarm of Naruto clones filled the area and rushed Sakon, screening Kakashi from view, who did a fast Henge to look like Naruto and jumped in among the melee before dashing after Sasuke and dropping the transformation.

Sakon fended off that first wave of clones without too much trouble but found himself ringed by clones again, all of them looking none too friendly about it either. "Oh?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "Now this is interesting. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu? Maybe Sasuke was wrong when he called you the Dead Last?"

"Damn straight he was!" Naruto shouted back. "And I'll prove it to you!"

"And then what? Will you kill Sasuke? Will you be able to?"

"No," Naruto replied. "But I know that already. I know I can't fight him with the intent to kill. That's why Kakashi-sensei went after him. If there's anyone who can bring Sasuke back, it's him. I'll put my faith in him to do it." Cerulean blue eyes became intense and sharp. "Just like he put his faith in me to kick your ass!"

"Interesting," Sakon said with a sneer. "Let's test it out, shall we? I'll show you just how misplaced your sensei's faith really is!" Naruto and Sakon charged right at each other, howling warcries to the heavens.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kidoumaru had found himself in a rather awkward position. When he'd been bounding between trees, trying to shake Yamato from finding him after that botched bow shot, he'd lost sight of the Konoha-nin altogether. It was a nerve-wracking situation for Kidoumaru. He generally wasn't much of a close-range fighter, preferring to kill his enemies at a distance with his Kekkei Genkai and his bow. Even now Yamato could be sneaking up on him, to ambush him from somewhere in the trees.

"Yah!" he yelped, spinning around when a rustling made him jump. His bow twanged on instinct and a bird dropped from the leaves and hit the ground, most of its body simply blown away by the speeding arrow. "A bird? Dammit, getting twitchy. Gotta calm down. Wait a second. Why am I so twitchy anyway?" He thought about it for a second then came up with an answer. "Killing intent. That bastard. He's leaking killing intent so subtly he's playing on my emotions. Gotta calm down…" the six-armed shinobi took a few steadying breaths and managed to start to discern the killing intent from his own jangling nerves. "Bastard," he snarled when he finally got enough control. "No way in hell he's an ordinary jounin. Maybe he's that experiment that Sakon mentioned earlier?"

"Feeling a little nervous?" Tenzou asked.

Kidoumaru spun around but found no one behind him.

"I'm not over there."

He spun again. Nothing. He was still alone.

"Not over there either."

Something moved in the leaves. Kidoumaru let fly when he saw what he thought was a human shape. The shape exploded and rained wood slivers down on the lower boughs of the trees. "So close," Tenzou said, "but that was just a Moku Bunshin."

"Moku Bunshin? So you _are_ that experiment!"

"Took you long enough."

"What? I thought it was something else! Genjutsu maybe."

"Then you have a long way to go as a shinobi," Tenzou's disembodied voice said, coming from all sides around Kidoumaru. "And that's something that will get you killed today."

"Show yourself, coward!" Kidoumaru bellowed, loosing an arrow. It whizzed into the trees and didn't hit anything but leaves and air.

"Missed me."

"Bastard."

"You still haven't figured it out?"

"Figured what out!"

"Where I am."

"Obviously! Or I wouldn't be trying to hit you like this!" Kidoumaru shouted, letting fly in a direction where he thought the voice had come from. Again he hit nothing. "Dammit. Where the hell are you!"

"I'm everywhere," Tenzou replied, "and nowhere."

"What is this, riddle time?" Kidoumaru asked.

"You look like a semi-intelligent boy," Tenzou answered. "Surely you can figure it out."

Kidoumaru glanced around, looking at every detail, fingers playing nervously on his bow. His eyes widened when he realized what was going on. "The trees," he whispered.

"Very good," Tenzou said, voice just as bodiless as it had been before. "I knew you could do it."

"Don't treat me like a little kid," Kidoumaru growled. "I'm not someone who can be taken down by some piece of shit trash. All your doing is melding with the trees. You use Mokuton, so that means you can control wood with chakra. It stands to reason that you can meld with them and travel within their cells like we would move through trees normally. I'm guessing that you're transferring from tree to tree by the root systems."

"Right. I'm impressed, Oto-nin. That's exactly how I'm doing it. A tree, in order to grow tall, must have a very extensive and well-laid root system. Those roots touch each other at some point or other and gives me a route between two trees."

Kidoumaru was about to retort when he suddenly stopped as he came to a realization. "No," he whispered as he took in the thousands of trees that surrounded him. "No way!"

"Now you fully understand your situation," Tenzou's voice said. "I am everywhere and nowhere. Try as you might, you can't hit me, can't see me, can't hear me, can't feel me. But I can see, hear, feel, and hit you." The tree's wood burst to life, ensnaring Kidoumaru before he even had a chance to move. The bark at his feet rippled and Tenzou rose from it, as if he was climbing out of the pool. His motions were just as casual as if he were taking a walk down the street.

Kidoumaru inhaled involuntarily when he caught sight of the white porcelain on Tenzou's face. "ANBU," he whispered. "It can't be." Tenzou reached up and removed his mask, baring his grim frown and iron gaze. He was a far cry from the competent but friendly jounin he'd been. His eyes held no mercy in them.

"ANBU Operations Code, Part 3, Combat Operations, Chapter 3, Regulation 22," Tenzou said tonelessly, reciting from memory something that had been drilled into him since day one of ANBU training. "In the event of identity compromise, the agent shall make every endeavor to restore cover. Methods include, but are not limited to, torture, blackmail, and assassination techniques."

Kidoumaru was suddenly very, very, aware of the kunai in Tenzou's hand. "No! Wait! Don't!"

Tenzou didn't hesitate, didn't even blink. "Do you know why ANBU has so many casualties?" he asked. Kidoumaru didn't even have enough room to shake his head. "Because we're called on to do the tough missions. We are the ones who are trained to kill missing-nin, Kage, and even," here he met Kidoumaru's eyes, "rogue Sannin. A kid like you doesn't stand a chance."

"L-L-LONG LIVE OROCHI…."

Kidoumaru gagged as his throat opened like a spigot, the terrible gash spilling his blood onto his robes. It soaked through in seconds, running in rivulets down the wood that bound every hand, every arm, every joint he had. A few moments later, the wood holding him up vanished as if it had never been there and the Sound Four member dropped to the ground. He stayed for a second before a dying spasm made him slip off the branch and plummet to the dirt far below.

He bounced once when he hit and was still.

* * *

Kakashi burst from the tree line, soaring over a rolling grassy plain. It was wide, probably two miles across at the very least, and Sasuke was already getting close to the halfway mark. He was just a black speck in the distance, running hard, leaning forward into his steps, allowing his arms to dangle behind him.

'I'm not that far behind him,' Kakashi wondered, 'How did he get so far out in front?' Genjutsu maybe? He frowned beneath his mask when the justu to release a genjutsu turned up nothing. So it was real. Sasuke really _was_ that much faster. 'Or am I that much slower?' He shook it off. There was no way he was slower than Sasuke, if only because he was so much taller. He could eat up much more ground than Sasuke's chicken legs.

Kakashi's chakra pooled in his feet and he bounded forward with renewed speed.

Sasuke noticed when he glanced back over his shoulder. There was no cover around and the Valley of the End was coming up fast. He had to get to it and cross it before Kakashi caught up to him. As the seconds stretched into minutes, Sasuke realized that he wasn't going to make it. Kakashi's longer legs were serving him well. At least Naruto wasn't following. Two on one, even if one of the others was the Dead Last, weren't favorable odds. Naruto was nothing if not persistent and he would've harried Sasuke long enough for Kakashi to disable the young Avenger.

But if it was just Kakashi and no one else…it was conceivable that Sasuke could beat him. Sasuke had pressured Kakashi during the bell test all those months…that _lifetime_ ago…and that was without he recent enhancements. They might just give him the boost that he needed to prevail.

Sasuke dug his feet in and slid to a stop.

Kakashi couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sasuke had stopped and was waiting for him. 'What are you doing, Sasuke?' Kakashi asked silently. 'Are you really that far gone that you believe you could defeat a jounin yourself?' He shook off the thought and tugged up the hirai-ate, baring the Sharingan to the outside world.

He stopped as well.

For a minute, they just stared at each other, neither moving. Sasuke met Kakashi's eyes without fear. He had no need to fear the Sharingan. After all, Sasuke had one himself and they both knew that it took a Sharingan to counter a Sharingan. If anything, Sasuke's immature Sharingan was on par with Kakashi's if only because Kakashi wasn't a genetic Uchiha. What they could _do_ with that eye was another story. Kakashi had had his for years, Sasuke only a few months. In this battle of the ocular enhancements, Kakashi had experience on his side and that would be all he needed.

"And so the pretender arrives," Sasuke said finally, breaking the pregnant silence.

"Pretender?" Kakashi asked.

"That eye. It's not yours. You've stolen the eye from another. That's why you're a pretender."

Kakashi's anger boiled, despite his attempt to control it. "This eye was gifted to me by my closest friend in the entire world. He had no need of it and I did. So now I experience the world for both of us. Don't presume to understand me, Uchiha Sasuke. You know _nothing_ about me." The venom in his voice was enough to cause a flicker of doubt cross Sasuke's face.

"An Uchiha would never abandon the Sharingan," Sasuke said, defiant.

"You don't know that," Kakashi snapped. "Now you're coming with me. Peacefully. Otherwise you're going to find out why I'm called Sharingan Kakashi!" A wind rustled the long grasses of the plain, the strands of foliage waving like an ocean.

Again, silence except for the rasp of leaves.

Sasuke snorted then let out of a few barks of confident laughter. "I'm not going anywhere with you," he chuckled. "I'm following my own path. If you can't understand that, then you can't hope to defeat me!"

There it was, in black and white.

In that instant, when the final defiant word left Sasuke's lips, Kakashi knew. There was no other alternative. With a heavy weight settling itself on his shoulders, Kakashi mentally moved Sasuke from the 'wayward student' column into the 'enemy' column. "Then you leave me no choice, Sasuke," Kakashi said finally. "If you won't come back peacefully, then I'm taking you in by force. I've given you more than enough chances, more than I would've any other enemy, but you've crossed a line now. Last chance."

Sasuke didn't miss the explicit use of the word enemy and he knew Kakashi wouldn't be holding back. And that was fine with him. He could handle it. He had to. Kakashi was standing in the way of him getting to Orochimaru and obstacles were only things to be surmounted.

Sasuke didn't answer. He simply drew a pair of kunai and held them up, Sharingan blazing.

The sorrow in Kakashi's chest almost made him give up. Almost. Instead, Kakashi took that sorrow and killed it. He closed his eyes and exhaled. When he did, he killed everything that made him human. Love, fear, hatred, passion, anger, sorrow, and the myriad of other emotions that separated a human from an animal, Kakashi killed them all and locked them away in the steel mental safe he hadn't used since the war.

When he opened his eyes again, only a second later, he was what a shinobi should be. A tool. He was a weapon to be wielded as his Kage saw fit. His Kage had ordered Uchiha Sasuke to be brought back alive or to bring his head back as proof of death. It was the only way Kakashi would fight Sasuke. If he fought as he had for the last decade or so, he would hold back. He couldn't hold back. Too much had been lost to get to this point. The opportunity couldn't be squandered.

Sasuke actually recoiled at the deadly look in his former sensei's eyes. Was this the true Kakashi, Sasuke wondered? Kakashi had always seemed like a capable but absent-minded jounin. All those excuses about being late, all the smutty books he read, the gags he pulled like the Sennen Goroshi. None of that was before him now. Kakashi's eyes were sharp, sharper than kunai edges. He held himself easily but the quiet tension betrayed his ability to close the gap quickly and gash Sasuke's throat.

Maybe he couldn't win.

Sasuke quashed that thought. He had to win. _Had_ to. If he didn't then this opportunity would be lost to him forever. They exploded into motion in the same instant and in that same instant, they played out an entire duel as the Sharingan they possessed analyzed all the possible moves and the minds connected to those Sharingan devised ways around them.

Sasuke flicked his kunai at Kakashi's head. The jounin was already in motion before the knives left Sasuke's hand, the second knife hidden in the first's shadow. Kakashi flung a return knife and a shuriken volley, somehow managing to do both with one hand, and put on a burst of speed. He closed in from Sasuke's left as the knife drove for Sasuke's face and the stars looped to Sasuke's right.

The rear was open.

Sasuke allowed himself to fall backwards, the knife flashing by inches above his nose. Sasuke realized he made a mistake when he saw Kakashi dropping towards him from out of the sun. He flung himself into a wild spinning dodge, corkscrewing wildly in the air, using the momentum to send a kick at Kakashi's head.

The jounin didn't bother with dodging.

"Ninpou! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A second Kakashi appeared on the first's back, catching Sasuke's leg and hurling him through the air. The clone leaped after the flying genin as the original sped along the ground, pulling ahead. He leaped up right as Sasuke started down, tailed hotly by the clone.

Sasuke screamed as he was caught in the middle between two thunderous kicks.

Sasuke popped.

A log covered in explosive tags replaced him. The two Kakashi joined hands and the clone hurled his creator clear right as the blast consumed Bunshin and log alike, filling the air where they'd been with prickly shrapnel.

Kakashi landed in a skid, hands already flashing.

Sasuke appeared behind him, the Tiger seal already in place.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Doton! Doryuuha!"

A wave of mud rose up behind Kakashi right as Sasuke released his fireball. The mud hissed and steamed angrily before the flames and steam died away, revealing an elegant curve of fired earth.

The next jutsu was identical.

"CHIDORI!"

The screaming of two thousand birds filled the clearing. The mud wall exploded as the two Raiton jutsu smashed right through it as if it wasn't there. The techniques clashed and merged. The ball of lighting grew too chaotic to control and exploded, shaking the plains once again.

Kakashi and Sasuke had both gotten clear at the last instant and stood facing each other as if they had never fought. The only signs of the battle were the mound of shattered mud and the jagged splinters of wood littering the area.

They sprinted at each other again when a third voice rang out.

"Teshi Sendan!"

Both combatants split apart as white blurs shot between them. Sasuke only caught the oblong shape, but Kakashi clearly saw them. 'Finger bones?' he asked himself. 'I wonder…'

They landed and faced their assailant. He, or at least Kakashi thought it was a he, was effeminate, tall and willowy with soft features that would melt many a woman in her shoes. His hair was white and hung down near his jaw line, parted in the center, with a clump or two tied off by red ornaments. Kakashi had no doubt this newcomer was an enemy. He wore the robes and purple rope that matched the ones the other four had had.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded as Kakashi retreated a few paces to keep both enemies in front of him.

"I am called Kimimaro," the other said, voice soft. "Uchiha Sasuke, I have come to lead to you to Orochimaru-sama."

Sasuke half-dropped his combat stance. Kakashi would've capitalized on it to subdue him, but not with the unknown there. He was dangerous, that much was for certain. The fact that he'd managed to sneak up on them like that, when both of them were fully on guard, spoke volumes to his skill. Until Kakashi knew more, the best course of action would be to wait and see what happened.

"Orochimaru is dead," Kakashi called. "Killed in battle by Son Gohan!"

Kimimaro's eyes flickered over Kakashi and the jounin felt his skin crawl. No kid should've had eyes like that. They were the flat, lifeless kind that veterans of many battles tended to get. They were the eyes Kakashi himself now had. "Believe what you want, Sharingan Kakashi," the other said simply before going back to staring at Sasuke.

"Not going to call me trash like your other friends?" Kakashi asked.

Again, Kimimaro's lifeless eyes flickered over the jounin but he made no move to answer. "Uchiha Sasuke, the Valley of the End and the border is two and a half miles behind me. If you wish to cross, then you must do so soon."

"What's going on with Orochimaru?" Sasuke demanded. "I've heard he's alive and dead. He can't be two at once. If I don't know for certain, he can forget about training me!"

"That is something you must discover for yourself," Kimimaro replied, voice soft but very audible. "If I tell you he's alive, then the Copy-Nin will refute me and you would doubt still. Nor can I convince you he lives while you doubt even now. If you wish to discover Orochimaru-sama's fate, then you must see with your own eyes."

A long white sword appeared in Kimimaro's hand. Kakashi's eyes narrowed. The Sharingan had caught it. That was a bone that had come _through_ the boy's wrist. "So one did survive," he murmured.

"I see you have heard of my clan," Kimimaro observed. "Though it will do you no good."

"I've only heard rumors," Kakashi admitted. "I heard that there were a group with the Kekkei Genkai that allowed them to control their calcium output. In doing so, they discovered that they could make bones as hard as steel in any shape they wished. Looks like that wasn't a rumor."

"Indeed it was not. I am the last of that clan." He tugged his shirt open, revealing the three wispy lines of the Cursed Seal of Earth, which was second only to the Heaven one that Sasuke bore. "Uchiha Sasuke, go. I will handle the Copy-Nin and join you later."

"I can handle this," Sasuke shot back.

"I will handle this," Kimimaro said in a tone that brooked no room for argument. "You are too valuable to risk in a fight with someone far above your caliber. I will handle him. You go."

Sasuke looked like he would argue for a second or two more then sighed. "Fine. But don't come crying to me for help."

"I will require none," Kimimaro replied evenly.

Sasuke leaped, trying to land behind Kimimaro. Kakashi was in motion the second his Sharingan picked up the rippling in Sasuke's muscles beneath his skin. He raced to close the gap and nearly died because of it.

"Tsubaki no Mai."

A thin white line filled the left side of Kakashi's vision. He knew what it was in an instant and was in motion even before that. He rolled and leaned at the same time, positioning his body to spin and slam his elbow into the back of Kimimaro's head.

The sword arced down from the stab, sweeping to cut open Kakashi's belly. He clasped both hands around the blade, allowing the considerable momentum of Kimimaro's swing to throw him clear.

Sasuke was already retreating. Kakashi glanced at the genin's retreating back, watching the red and white fan of the Uchiha clan fade into the distance.

"You do not have time to be concerned for your student's safety," Kimimaro told him.

"It's not them I'm worried about," Kakashi replied. 'It's me,' he added silently.

* * *

Naruto grunted as Sakon landed a heavy blow but the determined blond shrugged the blow off and powered through, slamming his fist into the other boy's chin. The leader of the Sound Four staggered but recovered just as Naruto tried to kick him in the face.

His own kick took Naruto in the chest and flung him into a tree. Body met bark with a sickening crunch. Naruto slumped, holding his shoulder, but the pain didn't diminish the glare of determination that he sent Sakon's way.

"Is that all you have?" Sakon asked.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Sakon raised one eyebrow when he saw the amount of clones that surrounded him. "Oh? You can still make this many? It won't do you any good. It hasn't the past two times."

The clones made no answer, instead leaping high into the air, or running up the sides of trees and vaulting. Sakon wondered what they were up to for a second. He realized what they were doing when every clone, and there were hundreds of them, produced two handfuls of shuriken. "Oh shit," he muttered.

"Shihouhappou Shuriken!"

The sky turned dark with flying steel.

A blast of chakra blew every shuriken out of the sky, or turned it back on its originator. Clone after clone burst like fireworks, laying thick haze over the area. The remaining Naruto clones traded apprehensive glances. Somehow, they knew that that wasn't enough to kill that guy.

"This is ridiculous," a new voice said. "You're using the second level and me for one little kid?"

"Ah shut up! Where's the fun in fighting if you don't go a little crazy?"

When the smoke cleared, it revealed to figures. One was the guy Naruto had been fighting up to this point and the other was someone else that looked the same. "Who's that?" Naruto muttered.

"Who me?" the new arrival asked. "Name's Ukon. My idiot brother here decided that he wanted to have a little fun and woke me up." Naruto took in the brothers. They were identical, right down to the silvery hair and demonic grins, but while both currently resembled some nightmarish goblin with reddish skin and steel limbs, the sides were reversed. One's metal arm was on the left, the other on the right. The same went for the horns as well. Each sported a single horn jutting from one side of their forehead.

Naruto suddenly put two and two together.

"Is this that Cursed Seal thing?" he asked them.

Both Ukon and Sakon looked startled. "And what would a dumb blonde like you know about that, huh?" Sakon asked.

"Because I've seen it before," Naruto answered. Even though Gohan hadn't looked like this when his seal had activated, Naruto would never forget that feeling of hollow apprehension in his gut. Despite his bravado and pranks, Naruto was actually a very intelligent young man and it was showing. Somehow, he couldn't explain how, he knew that this was a Cursed Seal effect. It also helped that he had that hollow apprehension now, sitting in his stomach like a lead ball.

"Impossible," Sakon said. "No one has seen a second level seal and lived to tell about it."

"Well now he does, idiot!" Ukon shouted, belting his brother in the head. "Use your head for once, you imbecile!" He glared at Naruto. "I'm afraid we're going to have to kill you now. Can't have anyone finding out about us now can we?"

"Try it!" Naruto shouted.

Ukon grinned. "As you wish."

The blow hammered into Naruto's nose. He felt his nose break, white-hot pain flaring behind his eyes, stars bursting in his vision. Naruto hadn't seen the attack. Nothing. One minute he was standing there, the next he was being hammered into a tree.

'How?'

That was all Naruto had time to wonder about before a second blow, from Sakon this time, hammered into his gut. Naruto screamed in pain as his gorge rose and spilled out over his lips. The fist pinning him to the tree vanished, allowing Naruto to spill, winded, into the dirt. He lay, winded, gagging, and coughing as Sakon and Ukon stood over him, laughing.

"Aw, you broke it, Sakon," Ukon chortled. He knelt and bashed Naruto in the back of his already-bruised skull. "Hey in there, can you hear me? What are you doing chasing after us anyway?"

"They're trying to stop Sasuke from reaching Orochimaru-sama," Sakon told him.

"Oh?" Ukon asked. "Really? Hm, then let me tell you something." He grabbed Naruto by the hair and lifted him to eye level. Naruto's face looked like hell with bile and blood mixing on his chin, staining his orange jumpsuit.

But his eyes shone defiant still.

"Still some fight in you? Good. Now listen, trash," Ukon said, "Sasuke is lost to you. He's coming with us and he'll get more power with Orochimaru-sama than he ever would have with you." He leaned in close. "And there's nothing you can do…to…stop…it."

He drove Naruto's face into the dirt and mashed it in with a foot, laughing all the while. They turned to go, the Cursed Seal's transformation fading from their bodies.

They froze in mid stride.

Naruto was on his feet, breathing heavily, shoulders slumped, but he was erect and his eyes were still as defiant as they had ever been. "Sasuke…" Naruto panted, "will…never…join…Orochimaru. We'll stop him…stop you."

"How is he standing?" Sakon asked as they again transformed into their second level.

"I don't know, but he won't be for long!"

Ukon shot forward like a bullet, fully expecting to impale Naruto on his metal hand.

Naruto's hand shot up and grabbed Ukon's, twisting it painfully. Ukon had to roll with it, lest he break his own wrist with his momentum. He landed flat on his back. "I won't let Sasuke join you," Naruto wheezed. "_We_ won't let him." He staggered but broke into a run, sprinting straight at Sakon, who looked very apprehensive about Naruto's sudden adeptness.

Suddenly he stopped and staggered backwards, screaming in pain as something hit him hard from the inside. To Naruto's horror, Ukon's head sprouted from his shoulder, stretching grotesquely as it came out until it stood out from his shoulder like a bad pimple.

Ukon leered at him.

"Guess what, little fly?" he said, grinning. "You've stepped into our web."

* * *

Yes I know this is way late. Understand, though, I'm getting ready to graduate college and I'm sure you other alums out there know what that's like. In addition, some of my classes are starting to come down on us pretty hard with projects and that kind of thing coming due and finals are in two weeks...oh crap. Finals are in two weeks! Oh boy. This is gonna be fun.

**Glossary**

**Doton: Doryuuha (Earth Style: Earth Flow Wave):** It's a big wave of mud. Which was baked into clay. Nothing too special here.

**Tsubaki no Mai (Dance of the Camellia)**: One of Kimimaro's attack routines involving his humurus bone as a sword and lots of stabbing. One of several 'dances' he uses.

**Shihouhappou Shuriken (All Directions Shuriken): **Naruto makes a lot of Kage Bunshin and they all throw shuriken. Much more frightening when you do the math on it. Each hand can hold four shuriken. Four times two is eight. Eight times...let's say we use Naruto's max (so far) of roughly two thousand clones. Two thousand times eight is sixteen _thousand_ shuriken coming at you. All at once. Yeah, good luck dodging that.


	40. Homestretch

Disclaimer: I own squat

* * *

Kakashi leaped back, throwing shuriken to cover his retreat. Kimimaro wasn't dissuaded, his sword knocking the stars from the sky, some of them shorn right in half when they met the keen blade of Kimimaro's unusual sword. The jounin's eyes narrowed he plotted, trying to find a way to get around the other fighter's Kekkei Genkai. A kunai, thrown right in the right instant, had done nothing but stick in Kimimaro's skin, not going in much further than a centimeter.

The meager wound hadn't even bled. Obviously it would take a Futon, with its cutting power, or a piercing Raiton to breach that hard armor. Kakashi was confident that the Raikiri could handle it, but he needed preparation time and he was most certainly not going to get any in this fight. "Is this all the great Copy-Nin Kakashi can do?" Kimimaro asked, speaking for the first time since beginning his little Tsubaki no Mai. "All you can do is run away and harass me with meaningless toys?"

Kakashi's answer came in the form of a kunai that took Kimimaro right in the middle of the forehead. Anyone else would've died right there. Not Kimimaro. Like its brother before it, Kakashi's knife dropped harmlessly to the ground, no smear of blood on its blade and Kimimaro was totally unharmed.

"If you will not come to me," Kimimaro said finally, "then I will come to you. Teshi Sendan!"

Finger bones shot at Kakashi, almost faster than he could dodge. Almost. Kakashi moved as he had never moved before, counting on his Sharingan's predictive abilities to keep him alive through the hail of speeding calcium. He didn't miss how the ground roiled when the bullets finally landed. 'Wonderful,' he thought woefully, 'one of those hits me and it's bye-bye Kakashi.'

Kakashi's chest burst open, a long white blade spearing him clean through.

"You were careless," Kimimaro said from behind the jounin.

"So were you," Kakashi replied and exploded.

"Kage Bunshin," the Oto-nin observed emotionlessly.

"Doton! Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!"

Kimimaro was visibly taken aback as he looked down at the arm bursting from the soil to try and snare his ankle. He slammed a palm down, a long, thin, bone protruding from it, his other palm, his shoulders, elbows and knees. "Yanagi no Mai!"

The arm popped, replaced by a log.

"Kawarimi? Elementary."

"Raiton! Raikiri!"

The ground exploded again, Kakashi bursting from below, catapulting into the air, haloed against the sun, a ball of blue-white lightning screaming in his hand. Kimimaro crossed the bones of his palms, clearly intending to block the strike that Kakashi was bringing down on him.

Whatever Kimimaro expected, it wasn't for the bones to snap as if they didn't exist, shattering into a thousand tiny fragments as the Raikiri continued on, unabated.

The Oto-nin threw himself into his dodge.

SLASH!

Kakashi cut him, a vicious gash across the chest. 'Didn't work,' Kakashi though grimly. 'He dodged at the last second. Saw that seal of his start to activate. This is about to get a whole hell of a lot harder.' He followed through, landing, moving his body to switch into a spin. The world was a blur as Kakashi smoothly went from jumping to running.

In a moment, Kimimaro was right there with him, both of them sprinting across the field for all they were worth, arms and legs pumping, mere blurs to the average eye. White bullets flew from Kimimaro's fingertips. Kakashi's Sharingan seemed to spin as the jounin closed his normal eye and relied solely on the gift given to him by Uchiha Obito. Kimimaro frowned as he watched Kakashi flip, roll, dodge, and contort, slipping between the gaps in the bullet's coverage. Not one came closer than an inch to him.

They slammed to a stop, each one breathing hard, harder than they should have in Kakashi's opinion. 'Why am I so exhausted?' Kakashi wondered. 'Yeah, I've been running for hours but I've done worse…so why?' He stopped and took stock of his situation. It wasn't just that he'd been running for hours, it was more than that. He'd just had a fight with Sasuke and before that, he'd been trapped in that chakra-eating dome and, here was probably the real reason, he'd just gotten out of the hospital not more than two days ago. It was a miracle he was still moving, much less fighting and deep down, in his very bone marrow, Kakashi could feel lingering pain brought on by the Tsukuyomi that Itachi had used on him. 'I have to end this quick, or I won't last much longer.'

Kimimaro was equally concerned. 'My sickness is accelerating,' he noted clinically. 'The Cursed Seal is making it happen, eroding my body. But it doesn't matter. All this I do, I do for Orochimaru-sama. If that means death, then so be it.' But, some weaker part of him pointed out, he didn't want to die. Did anyone, even those who claimed so? Kimimaro didn't know and it didn't matter. He was here to safeguard Orochimaru-sama's body and he had to defeat Sharingan Kakashi in order to do it.

With that in mind, he opened himself again to the Cursed Seal. His body seared as the lines all over his body began to expand and cover him completely. Sickly purple chakra welled up at the bottoms of his feet before roaring into the sky, forcing an ominous wind to move over the plains. Hatake Kakashi didn't look concerned, Kimimaro thought. No, if anything, he looked ready. He wasn't such a novice that he could be taken off guard by this kind of thing.

Pain ripped through him as the changes began to happen. Kimimaro ignored the searing that raged through his entire body. It was nothing special. This pain would be nothing compared to the pain that came with failing Orochimaru-sama. If it meant being useful to his master, then Kimimaro could and would endure anything.

Kakashi prepared himself as he saw the seal glow on Kimimaro's chest and being to cover him. 'What now?' Kakashi wondered. The boy's skin roiled and writhed like it was its own entity. It had to hurt but Kimimaro made no noise, no acknowledgement of the pain that had to be wracking him even then.

And then the world exploded.

The fireball roared in Kakashi's ears, deafening him, the shockwave blowing him right off his feet, the heat searing his skin almost to the point of burning. The earth bucked and kicked like it was alive, slamming him again and again. Kakashi didn't know when he fell but he did, landing painfully on one shoulder. The explosions didn't abate but continued on for an eternity of seconds.

Finally, after a lifetime, silence fell over the battlefield. Kimimaro had vanished. In his place was a pockmarked and tortured earth. Dust hung over the blasted landscape like smoke, small rocks and pebbles still raining down. Kakashi staggered upright, not believing what had happened, trying to figure it out. It took a second for Kakashi's disorganized mind to come up with the solution.

He looked up.

Sure enough, Gohan hung over them. Kakashi could see his head swiveling back and forth, as if he was looking for something. Kakashi dove forward, right as the earth burst apart, a thin bone spike filling the space where his head had just been. Kimimaro shot over the top of him, not expecting the dodge. Kakashi was luck he didn't follow up and lay his back open.

Kakashi sprinted in the other direction when he had a second, having heard a faint _"Masenko"_ being uttered above him.

KABOOM!

The pillar of yellow-white light hammered down a second later, throwing Kakashi off his feet again. This time he was ready and landed cat-like, facing Kimimaro. He couldn't believe what he was seeing as Gohan landed beside him, dark eyes tense, muscles tensed for action.

Kimimaro was all fours, a bone dome above him, sprouting from thick stalks that came out of his shoulders, all down his spine, back of the skull, and pelvis. The actual dome itself was a shattered and broken mess, falling apart in chunks. It fell away altogether when the bones slurped back under Kimimaro's skin and the Oto-nin stood up.

"I'm really starting to hate these Kekkei Genkai things," Gohan said from beside the jounin.

"It'll happen," Kakashi replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Following you," Gohan replied. "Where's the rest of the team? I know Sakura's fine, but where's Yamato and Naruto?"

"Naruto's fighting another one of these guys in the trees over there," Kakashi pointed in the direction he'd come from. Maybe it was his imagination, or wishful thinking, but Kakashi was almost sure he saw movement in the distant trees. "And I wouldn't worry about Yamato. He can take care of himself."

"So who's this?" Gohan asked.

"No idea. Sasuke's out of that barrel thing and he's heading for the Valley of the End. This guy showed up right when I caught up with him and tied me up. Sasuke's been gone for nearly an hour, forty-five minutes now." Kakashi sighed. "This has turned into a big snafu."

Gohan nodded. "Go," he said, "I'll handle this guy. You stop Sasuke."

Kakashi smiled. "I'd love to, believe me, but I don't think I'll be in any shape to by the time I catch him."

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked, looking up at him. Kakashi could see that Gohan had suspicions about what Kakashi was about to say but wanted to hear it from the jounin's own lips.

"It's going to take everything else I have left to beat this guy," Kakashi answered. "That said, I'll be in no condition to stop Sasuke and I have a feeling Naruto, Sakura, aren't going to be either and Yamato can't fly so it's going to take him too long to get here. You can catch Sasuke and you're the freshest of all of us." He looked the younger warrior in the eye. "Gohan, I know what I'm asking is a little selfish but I'll say it anyway. I want you to go and stop Sasuke."

"I thought you'd say that," Gohan murmured.

"I realize it's not something I should be asking you to do, but of us all, you're in the best condition for it and you don't have any really close bonds with Sasuke like the rest of us do. So go, fight him, stop him if you can but stall him until Yamato can get here at least. Get going. I'll stall bone boy over there."

Gohan was silent for a moment before he finally nodded. "Alright, I understand." A blue aura flared up around him as he crouched, muscles coiling. Kakashi nodded as well.

"Thanks, Gohan. Now go!"

Kakashi sprinted forward as Gohan roared into the air. Kimimaro made to fire some of those finger bullets at him, but Kakashi was on him before that, kicking, punching, and slashing like a man possessed, driving the Oto-nin back through sheer virtue of ferocity.

In only seconds, Gohan was far out of range, now only a white dot in the sky.

Kimimaro kicked at Kakashi, but he was already predicting the move just as Kimimaro began to move, dodging by the time the kick was where it should've been.

They faced off again.

"That Sharingan is most troublesome," Kimimaro said, a hint of aggravation in his tone.

"It's a habit," Kakashi answered, raising a knife, eyes glinting dangerously. "Now, where were we?"

They charged at each other again.

* * *

Naruto screamed and writhed on the ground, Ukon's face leering at him from out of his stomach. The blond couldn't believe how much pain he was in. It felt like his every nerve was on fire and he didn't even realize that someone was screaming. Or maybe he did. Was someone screaming? Naruto didn't know. He was too consumed with the fire racing over every nerve, oozing out of every pore.

Ukon cackled as Sakon stood by grinning. "He screams pretty well," Sakon said.

"Hahaha!" Ukon laughed as Naruto's screams began anew, louder this time. "Whoops. Maybe I shouldn't have cut that muscle, huh?"

Naruto finally ran out of breath and fell silent, chest heaving. A sudden surge in his adrenalin cleared his mind for just a second. Naruto yelled again, a scream of anger this time, and lashed out at the face rising from his stomach. Ukon vanished back into Naruto's skin before the blonde ever made contact and reappeared out of Naruto's extended forearm.

The pain tripled and Naruto was screaming again.

"Oi, oi," Sakon said impatiently. "Hurry it up, will you? I want to make sure that Sasuke didn't get caught by that jounin."

"He's just one jounin," Ukon replied dismissively. "Sasuke's improved a lot with the new seal, more than anyone we've ever seen. He'll wipe the floor with a single jounin."

"That wasn't just a jounin, you dumbass," Sakon shot back. "It was Hatake Kakashi. _The_ Hatake Kakashi! The Copy-Nin, Sharingan Kakashi, the Human Photocopier! Whatever nickname you want to use!"

"You're sure?"

"Positive. We've seen his dossier, Ukon."

"He could be…problematic," Ukon admitted.

"You think?" Sakon asked sarcastically.

"Alright, alright, I got it," Ukon said, turning back to Naruto. "Hey, can you hear me, kid? Yes? Okay, good. Listen, I'm really sorry about this, but we've gotta go make sure Sasuke gets away from the Copy Ninja, so I'm gonna have to kill you now. Sorry."

Naruto screamed again, longer and louder than before slumping, finally, mercifully, unconscious. Ukon was laughing the entire time, just as loud and long as the screaming before something inside Naruto made him stop, wondering what it was.

"What was that?" Ukon wondered. It was as if he'd been floating in an ocean and something had brushed his toes from below before darting back into the depths. He was suddenly unnerved.

"What was what?" Sakon asked.

"You didn't see anything unusual?"

"Oh no, I'm just watching a talking head poking out of some kid's stomach. Perfectly normal," Sakon retorted sarcastically. "Why?"

"There's something up with this kid, I don't know what and I don't like it. I say we kill him the old fashioned way."

Sakon shrugged. "Have it your way." Nothing happened. "Well? Aren't you going to get out?"

Ukon grunted and strained. "I can't." He sounded puzzled.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean I can't undo the Kekkei Genkai!" Ukon said, sounding panicked. "This is new! We've never had this problem before." That toe-brushing feeling came back, stronger than before now. "There it is again! You're sure nothing's going on?"

"Positive, Ukon, look around you. Nothing's happening. But if you can't get free…then who is this kid?" Sakon asked, frowning down at Naruto's limp body. "I know I've seen this kid before, somewhere…where was it." He closed his eyes, thinking. His head snapped up, suddenly remembering. "Oh shit! Ukon! Get out of him now! He's…"

Ukon screamed and vanished into Naruto's body, as if a shark had dragged him under.

"Ukon!" Sakon shouted, kneeling next to Naruto. "Ukon!"

* * *

Ukon plummeted down a black abyss. His throat constricted as he fell for far longer than he should have. He closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly his surroundings felt different. He risked a peek.

Ukon stood in a long corridor, dimly lit, the floor covered in water. It fairly deep, up around Ukon's lower calves. Rusting metal pipes crawled over the walls and ceiling, a haphazard mess that had no discernable purpose. Ukon even saw one or two that just flat out dead-ended.

"Where am I?" he asked, but received no answer. He set off down the corridor, which branched off in different directions, some of them had doors of a heavy wood or steel, other stretches were completely barren. "I'm still inside that kid, but I'm fairly sure no human looks like _this_ inside. And what was Sakon trying to tell me, anyway?"

A noise caught Ukon's attention and he stopped, listening. It sounded like a voice, a familiar one. Ukon recognized it as the kid's. So he was still around, Ukon realized with a grin. Well then, if that brat was here, then he ought to know the way out of…wherever here was.

The Oto-nin grinned evilly, setting off down a new route, following the voice. Ukon walked for what felt like hours, the voice of the kid never seeming to draw closer. Finally, long after Ukon had started contemplating turning back and finding another way, he came to the end of the hall.

The end of the hall opened into a massive chamber. There was something inside it, but Ukon couldn't see what it was. He could've sworn it was bars though, but that made absolutely no sense. "What's with this guy?" Ukon wondered as he advanced into the chamber.

The temperature spiked up almost instantly, climbing from cool and clammy to uncomfortably hot and dry. The walls were again covered in those ubiquitous and pointless pipes, most of which snaked into the black cage on the other end of the room, because that what was set against the far wall. Ukon hadn't been wrong when he'd said those things were bars. That was exactly what they were.

Bars.

Bars to a massive cage that stretched from the water-soaked floor to the shadowed ceiling, which Ukon couldn't see because it was so far above his head, as opposed to the claustrophobic hallways he'd just come from. He'd had a bit of vertigo, to be honest, when he'd stepped into the room. The gargantuan doors were held closed with a simple scrap of paper that read 'Seal'.

Ukon squinted when he thought he saw something shift in the shadows on the other side of the door. The dim light in the room caught on something that vanished just as fast as it had appeared. "What the hell?" Ukon whispered, suddenly feeling like loud noises were a bad idea. He crept closer to the bars, each one thick and gleaming.

WHAM!

Ukon screamed and leaped back as a huge set of claws, more massive than anything Ukon had ever seen, smashed into the cage hard enough to rattled the enormous doors. The Oto-nin had been a good four feet away from the doors when those monstrosities had appeared and they'd damn near reached him. Whatever this thing was, it was huge!

Then, to Ukon's horror, sinister red chakra began to curl up around the thing in the cage, outlining a massive face, grinning horribly at him, red eyes with feline-like pupils leering down a long muzzle. The chakra's light intensified until it weighed down on Ukon like an evil weight, the temperature now almost unbearable. The air around Ukon was beginning to boil, as if he was totally immersed in water.

Then, to Ukon's immense horror, the huge muzzle opened, revealing fangs longer than Ukon was tall, and the monster began to _speak!_

"**So,"** the monstrosity said, **"you are the one who has seen fit to invade my vessel, are you?"**

Ukon suddenly felt very small. "Wh-where's the brat?" He stammered. "I know he's here!"

"**Naruto?" **The thing rumbled, voice deep and rumbling. It began laughing, a bloodthirsty laugh that rattled the very foundations of the room and shook Ukon in his boots. **"Foolish little mortal. It wasn't Naruto you heard."** That horrid grin got even wider, filling the space behind the bars. **"It was I."**

"You?"

"**Yes, I."**

"What…are you?"

"**You don't know? Hm. I suppose you wouldn't otherwise you would not have been so foolish as to dare intrude on my home."**

"Home?"

"**Yes, foolish little mortal, my home. You wish to know what I am? I am something far beyond your comprehension. I am the Lord of the Beasts, the Greatest and Most Terrible of the Bijuu. I AM KYUUBI!"**

The crimson chakra in the room flared bright, illuminating the beast for Ukon to see. Ukon felt terror flood him as he beheld the monster before him. The Nine-Tails was enormous. The cage that held it was massive, but it was still too small for the Kyuubi's bulk. The fox lay in the cage, ducking its head to avoid the ceiling, its nine long tails bunched into awkward positions all around its body. Chakra ran and danced all of it and it was still grinning that horrendous grin.

Ukon felt as if he was about to lose his grip on his sanity and turn into a gibbering mass. The light faded, hiding the Kyuubi again, but Ukon would never forget what he'd seen.

"This kid is a…Jinchuuriki?" Ukon whispered. "He's the host for the Kyuubi?"

"**Yes," **Kyuubi rumbled. **"Naruto is my vessel, forced upon me by that damnable Yondaime Hokage."** The beast's eyes narrowed dangerously. **"And you threaten his life. Make no mistake, mortal, I feel nothing for Naruto and would tear him apart myself. But you threatened to kill him, you threatened to kill me, for if Naruto dies, then I die as well. You have forced me to act and I shall show no mercy!"**

"Y-you can't get me from in there!" Ukon shouted, defiant, suddenly sure that what he was saying was true. "If you were sealed by the Yellow Flash himself, then there's no way in hell you're getting out!" He laughed. "You can't touch me!"

"**Is that so?"**

Bright red youki blasted out from under the Kyuubi's door, speeding across the floor before Ukon could even react. It curled around his ankle, swirling up his body and wrapping him tight. The heat was unbearable, torturous.

Ukon screamed long and loud, the yell echoing horribly off the walls of Naruto's mind.

He burst into flames, consumed in an instant, and was gone, nothing more than black ash that faded into nothingness.

"**It is done," **Kyuubi said, speaking to no one. **"I have done my part, Uzumaki Naruto and now you must do yours. I will lend you my power once more, but it will be more than you can handle. **_**I**_** will deal with these insects."**

* * *

Sakon stood over Naruto's body, wondering what happened to Ukon. It had been a while since his brother had vanished into the blonde's body. Normally, this wouldn't be cause for concern, but Ukon had said that something was wrong and, Sakon couldn't believe he'd forgotten about this, this kid was the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. Who knew what the fox was capable of? Maybe it was responsible for all of this? Sakon didn't know, but all of the intelligence they had on the fox indicated that the Yondaime had locked it away but good.

Red chakra blasted forth from Naruto's body, expelling a charred and blackened husk, which broke into several pieces when it hit. Sakon didn't have to be told who it was. It was his brother.

"You bastard!" Sakon snarled, whirling back around on Naruto, kunai in hand and murder in his heart. He stopped cold when he saw what had happened after Ukon's body had been expelled from the Jinchuuriki.

A beast of black chakra crouched where Naruto had lay. Four tails waved in the air behind it, its mouth and eyes simple white markings on its skin, the mouth a Jack 'O Lantern parody, the eyes perfectly round. Long fox ears stretched up behind its head, framing the hint of spiky hair, the _only_ hint of Naruto left on this new monstrosity.

The rumbling in the back of the creature's throat made Sakon's neck hair stand on end. He took a few cautious steps backwards, the creature watching him every step of the way.

Sakon spun, sprinting for all he was worth, trying to get away from the monstrosity behind him. He was swift, opening the gap in an instant. In the next instant, a huge black claw, made of that same terrible youki as the beast itself, burst from the ground in front of Sakon and grabbed him.

The Oto-nin howled in pain as he felt the skin on his leg blister and cook. The first held him immobile and in excruciating pain as a second claw erupted from the wrist of the first.

Sakon didn't feel anything after that.

The mini-Kyuubi Naruto had become smiled malevolently and howled its triumph to the heavens, a horrible screeching yell that sent the birds in the area flapping into the sky, trying to flee the beast that had spawned below them.

The monster looked around then finally settled on where Kakashi was fighting Kimimaro. It smiled again; sensing more prey and took one shuffling step forward.

Ten wooden pillars with black spikes on one side sprang up around the tailed form of Naruto. The beast showed one second of shock before Yamato dropped down in front of it, Sakura tied to his back. He slammed his palms together. "Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu! Kakuan Nitten Shuishi!" When he brought his hands apart, the kanji for Sit was inscribed on his palm. "Sorry, Naruto," Yamato said, eyes sad, "but this is the only way." He darted forward, slammed his hand into Naruto's chest and pulled.

Naruto roared in anger, but the beast couldn't move and slowly, over the course of many minutes, the black chakra began to recede. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Naruto's fox cloak was removed, revealing the teen underneath, who was clearly worse for the wear. His skin was red and irritated, the uppermost layers cooked off by the fox's own youki.

Yamato gave one final grunt of effort and pulled hard. The last of the youki vanished as if it had never been there, the pillars vanished into the ground, and Naruto collapsed. Yamato slumped as well. "That was more youki than any of the reports have ever talked about before," he murmured, unlimbering Sakura, whom he'd retrieved from her battle before coming to reinforce Naruto and Kakashi, and laying her against the roots of a tree. "Is the seal weakening? Or did Naruto purposely draw out that much to beat these guys?" He frowned. "Jiraiya-sama has to know." He folded a few hand seals, creating a Wood Clone, scrawled a message to Tsunade and Jiraiya, sealed it, and sent the clone on its way.

Yamato watched his clone go then slipped Naruto a soldier pill and stood back to watch. He'd had a hunch it would work, but Yamato was still surprised by how fast Naruto's outer layers of skin returned. The ANBU sighed then scooped up Sakura again and Naruto and set off.

* * *

Gohan blasted over the forest below, the leaves and needles blurring into a single velvety carpet of greens and browns. He frowned as he kept searching for Sasuke's ki but still couldn't find it. The other boy was obviously hiding it and that didn't make Gohan's job any easier. For all he knew, he'd passed Sasuke a long time ago, didn't realize it, and the Uchiha had taken another route to the Valley.

'Speaking of which,' Gohan thought as he caught sight of the vicious fissure in the earth. The howl of water reached his ears, even over the roar of the air rushing by, the white mist thrown high up over the gorge's rims where it hung like a cloud of diamonds. Straddling the waterfall were two towering statues. The first Gohan didn't recognize but he thought the second looked a little like the face of the First Hokage back in Konoha. Maybe this was the site of some battle between the Shodai and that other guy?

Gohan's eyes narrowed when he caught sight of a small black figure scaling the lips and nose of the statue that represented the unrecognizable man. That could only be one person, he knew, as he started down.

"Sasuke!" Gohan shouted as he alighted on the Shodai's forehead. "Sasuke stop!"

The Uchiha did just that, much to Gohan's surprise. He half-turned, facing the Saiyan warrior, a scowl on his face. "Son Gohan," he murmured, the anger clear in his voice. That confused the one who the anger was directed at. "Of course it would be you."

"Sasuke?" Gohan asked.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke spat.

"What am I…What do you mean by that?" Gohan called. "I'm here to take you back to Konoha!"

"No," Sasuke said simply, facing Gohan fully, who recoiled when he saw what had happened to the young Uchiha. Sasuke's entire left half was covered by the markings of the Cursed Seal of Heaven and the eye on that side was black with a tawny iris. "Why would I turn back when the means to beat Itachi is so close?"

"Sasuke," Gohan said, "I'm getting really sick of saying this, but for your sake, I'll say it once more. Orochimaru…is…DEAD! I was there! I watched it happen! Hell, I'm the one that _did_ _it_!"

"I won't believe it until I see it with my own two eyes," Sasuke replied, banishing the seal with a thought. It resisted, resenting being told what to do, but in the end it obeyed, retreating behind the Fuuja Houin, leaving Sasuke normal once more. "Now leave. Let me follow my own path."

"Or what?"

Sasuke's answer was chillingly simple. "I'll kill you."

Gohan suddenly had an idea. "You don't have the power!" he shouted. He smiled inwardly as he noticed Sasuke stop in mid-stride. "You couldn't beat me even with the Cursed Seal! Face it Sasuke, you're just a kid!"

Sasuke turned back, eyes dangerous. "Watch your mouth," he said.

'Twist the knife,' Gohan thought. "You heard me!" He went on. "You're just a kid!" He allowed himself a Vegeta-like smirk. "A _weak_ kid!"

"I will make you eat those words!" Sasuke shouted, the Cursed Seal's first stage racing across his skin, covering him completely. "I'll defeat you! Then I'll go to Orochimaru and beat Itachi!" He gathered himself to leap at Gohan then stopped, a realization dawning on him.

'Ah crap, he saw through it.'

Sasuke started laughing. "Psychological tactics!" He chuckled. "I would've never expected them from you!" He turned around again. "Later, Gohan. I hope for your sake, we never meet again."

He started walking away. Sasuke stopped and looked down when a shadow passed over him. He looked up just in time to see Gohan swing. Sasuke ducked the blow on instinct. Gohan hurtled over his head, planting one hand and spinning on it, trying to smash a heel into Sasuke's head. Sasuke leaped, clearing the leg as Gohan followed through, spinning back to his feet.

Sasuke leaped again, landing on the Shodai's head as Gohan watched him from Madara's head, though neither knew at the time that that was who the statue was. "You're going to have to go through me if you want to go to Orochimaru, Sasuke!" Gohan called.

Sasuke closed his eyes. When they snapped open again, the Sharingan was blazing. "Then that's what I'll do!" Sasuke answered as both boys slipped into fighting stances. "Bring it on!"

Gohan closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment of pity. True, he didn't really like Sasuke, but neither did he hate him enough to fight him without a second thought. Sasuke was a good guy deep down, but right now he'd strayed dangerously off the light path. Gohan had been charged with dragging him back to that path, kicking and screaming if it came to that, and that was exactly what was about to happen.

"Alright, Sasuke," Gohan said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slow. "Get ready. Here I come!"

* * *

Whee! And so we approach the finish line. Kimimaro vs Kakashi will wrap up next chapter, Sasuke vs Gohan will heat up in earnest, then we finish up with a few post-climax chapters and an epilogue then Dilemma ends and Return begins. Look forward to it!

**Glossary**

**Teshi Sendan (Ten-Digit Drilling Bullets): **The user fires their finger bones as bullets, which do just as much damage too.

**Yanagi no Mai (Dance of the Willow): **Kimimaro sprouts bone spikes out of his palms, elbows, and knees and proceeds to stab and otherwise impale things with them.

**Raikiri (Lightning Cutter): **The upscale version of Chidori. Supposedly Kakashi used it to cut a lightning bolt in half, hence the name. Generally thought to be more powerful than a standard Chidori.

**Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu. Kakuan Nitten Shuishi (Hokage-Style Sixty year old Technique. Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-bringing Hands): **Holy CRAP that was a pain to type out. Anyway, Yamato uses the technique to suppress the chakra of Bijuu, most notably Naruto's. Like his Kekkei Genkai, Yamato was gifted the technique from the Shodai thanks to Orochimaru and his Frankenstein-style experiments.**  
**


	41. Homestretch Part II

Disclaimer: Own nothing

* * *

Kakashi flipped over Kimimaro's head, showering the Oto-nin with kunai and shuriken. All to no avail as they just bounced of Kimimaro's gray and bone hide. "Dammit," the jounin swore under his breath. "Ever since he transformed into that second level, it's been taking everything I've got to stay ahead of him!"

He landed, ducked the tail that Kimimaro had sprouted, swept the other fighter's feet out from under him and started folding the seals for the Chidori. He was interrupted when Kimimaro fired more finger bones. "I swear to you, I'm going to break every finger you have when I get my hands on you!" Kakashi shouted in frustration. It was the umpteenth time the bones had denied Kakashi a blow.

Kimimaro bounced back a few hops, putting distance between them. He stared at Kakashi as Kakashi glared back. The wind whispered through the glade, now much worse for the wear after the battles between Kakashi and Sasuke, Kakashi and Kimimaro, and Gohan's intervention in the second. 'Okay, Hatake, what now? He's fast, really fast, can make bones that can pierce steel, and he's a very skilled taijutsu to boot. Tough nut to crack.' The only thing going for him was the fact that Kimimaro was breathing just as hard as Kakashi himself was.

Suddenly Kimimaro staggered, coughing violently into one hand. When he recovered, Kakashi's keen eyes didn't miss the blood on Kimimaro's hand. So he was sick or wounded from some other battle? Kakashi was leaning towards the former. Kimimaro had no visible wounds that Kakashi was aware of. Maybe Kakashi could turn this into a battle of attrition. Sure, Kakashi was fatigued, but he wasn't coughing blood.

'Better not give him a chance to pull out anything new, though,' Kakashi thought, 'that would be bad.'

Kimimaro bent over, the skin at the base of his neck rippling madly before a bone protruded through the skin.

'Ah damn, too late.'

Kakashi watched, dumbfounded, as Kimimaro ripped his spine, his freaking _spine_, right out of his back, the vertebrae sharp like tip of a stiletto knife. "That…can't be good for you," Kakashi remarked deadpan.

"Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru," Kimimaro replied. He dashed forward, sword raised high. Kakashi sprinted forward as well, waiting until the right second, then dropping into a slide, breezing right between Kimimaro's legs. He resisted the urge to punch up into the boy's groin. He was sure to have that protected by bone. Instead he hooked Kimimaro's knees and took them out from under him. Kimimaro smashed down as Kakashi vaulted up into the air.

He folded a series of hand seals.

"Raiton! Raijuu Hashiri no Jutsu!"

A snarling beast of lighting leaped from Kakashi's hands, barreling right towards Kimimaro, who was on his feet again. He slashed the beast in half, but the beast became a single being again behind him and came at him again. Kimimaro somersaulted over the creature, flicking his sword.

It shot out like a whip, coming straight at Kakashi, who was forced to abandon the Raiton in order to dodge. 'What the hell?' Kakashi wondered as he dodged a second swipe of the chain-spine-sword thing. "There should be a limit to how freaky a Kekkei Genkai can be."

"You are skilled, Hatake Kakashi," Kimimaro said as his spine-sword retracted. "I must commend you. No one has lasted this long in single combat with me before. However, my time grows short." As if to emphasize his point, he gagged and spat blood on the ground. "I must end this quickly." The spine in his hand began to grow until it had covered his arm and was still expanding. Soon Kimimaro didn't have an arm, but a massive swirling spike of bone that stood nearly as tall as Kimimaro himself. "Tessenka no Mai: Hana."

Kakashi was startled by the size of the weapon and the manner in which it had appeared, but it didn't slow his response. He held one hand out to the side, not molding any seals. Kimimaro charged in, wondering why Kakashi wasn't molding the seals to make his next jutsu. Kimimaro expected it to be the infamous Lightning Cutter, the Raikiri, which he'd already seen today. Kimimaro was confident his new weapon could outlast the jutsu long enough to impale Sharingan Kakashi.

"Die, Hatake Kakashi!" Kimimaro shouted.

"Not today!" Kakashi answered. "RASENGAN!"

Kakashi slammed the Fourth's ultimate jutsu into the tip of the bone spike. The impact was horrendous, shattering the ground under their feet. Wind peeled everywhere in great sheets, ripping gouges into the verdant grasses all around them.

A bone sword like the one that the Oto-nin had first used appeared in Kimimaro's free hand. "Die!" He reiterated.

"Oh shit!" Kakashi snarled, realizing that he couldn't bring out a second Rasengan to counter. He _sucked_ with his other hand. There was no one he could hold one together, even for more than a second or two. Kakashi could only watch as the second blade came down on him.

It cut the jounin right in half, killing him instantly.

"No!" Yamato shouted, watching Kakashi die. He'd just arrived at the battle, stashing Sakura and Naruto safely underground in a wooden cocoon. It would keep them safe until they'd beaten this new arrival. Only he'd been a second too slow. Yamato was about to attack and finish the bastard who'd killed Kakashi when Kakashi suddenly turned into blue and white light that let loose a hellacious cackle.

Kimimaro's world was suddenly a haze of pain as the electricity coursed over his entire body, immobilizing him. He was helpless.

Which was what Kakashi was after.

The chirping of one thousand birds filled the clearing.

"Chidori!"

The ground beneath and behind the immobilized Oto-nin burst apart, revealing Kakashi, who'd switched with a Kawarimi right after he'd noticed the skin on Kimimaro's right arm rippling to make the old bone sword.

"Forgive me, Orochimaru-sama," Kimimaro whispered.

Kakashi's arm and hand burst through Kimimaro's chest, obliterating his heart and a good portion of both lungs, not to mention frying his nervous system with the residual electricity.

Kimimaro was dead almost the second Kakashi's hand reached the halfway point through his body.

Kakashi wrenched his arm free of the corpse, the wound sucking hideously, and sank to his knees, breathing hard, completely winded and almost entirely drained of chakra. He reached up and tugged his hirai-ate back down into position.

"Kakashi-sempai!"

He looked up at the call and spotted Yamato coming over, Sakura tied to his back and carrying Naruto in his arms, having retrieved them from their cocoons. "Yamato," Kakashi panted, trying to stand but found that his legs wouldn't move.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll live," Kakashi answered, forcing himself upright. He swooned, nearly toppling, but stayed up. "Just give me a minute to catch my breath."

"I'm surprised he gave you such a tough time," Yamato said.

"I got out of the hospital two days ago," Kakashi answered, "cut me a little slack."

"You're out of shape, sempai," Yamato teased.

"Oh go jump in a campfire," Kakashi retorted, pulling out a rag he kept in his pouch for polishing kunai and shuriken. He ran it down his arm, trying to mop up as much of Kimimaro's blood as he could before it started attracting flies. "How're Naruto and Sakura?"

"Sakura's pretty beat up and she's got a hand that's pretty banged up, but you should see her opponent. Naruto's a bit larger concern. He…Kakashi, he used four tails."

Kakashi suddenly found himself devoid of fatigue. "What?"

Yamato retold the ending of Naruto's battle with Sakon, how the four-tails had ruthlessly crushed Sakon. "I also found a scorched skeleton," Yamato finished, "I think there were two opponents."

"I'm sure there was one," Kakashi murmured, until he thought about it, about the strange lump on the boy's neck, about how his leg had healed so damn fast, and a few other oddities he'd noticed in the pursuit. "A Kekkei Genkai, maybe, one that lets the two merge their bodies together."

"We'll never know for sure," Yamato replied.

"We will eventually," Kakashi corrected. "Once the ANBU get their hands on those bodies, we're going to know what they had for breakfast six months ago."

Yamato shrugged. "What now?"

"I sent Gohan to fight Sasuke," Kakashi replied. "He's the freshest of us all and he's also probably the strongest. Sasuke will have a tough time with him."

"Do you think Sasuke will stand a chance of winning?" Yamato asked as Kakashi popped a soldier pill.

"Maybe," Kakashi replied. "It depends on what the Cursed Seal does to him and how well he can use his Sharingan. The worst thing you can do is get into a taijutsu battle with a Sharingan user and that's Gohan's forte. It'll be exciting, if nothing else."

"Perhaps we should shake a leg then?" Yamato asked.

Kakashi clenched one fist, feeling the effects of the soldier pill wash over him. "Yeah, let's get going. Here, I'll take Naruto." The jounin slung the boy over his back then he and Yamato headed for the Valley of the End and the fateful battle that was happening there.

* * *

"Bring it on!" Sasuke called to Gohan.

Gohan sighed, exhaling a slow breath. "Alright," he replied. "Here I come Sasuke!" Gohan flew right at the raven-haired genin, fist cocked back for a strike that would probably take Sasuke's head from his shoulders if it hit. Sasuke was moving out of the way the second the Sharingan showed him where the hit would land. He felt the wind rippling off Gohan's fist as it flashed by his face.

He ignored the crumbling of rock behind him as the shockwave ripped off the other boy's fist, instead driving the palm of his hand into Gohan's chin, rocking the Saiyan's head back, dazing him for a second. Sasuke grabbed Gohan's gi then pulled him into a vicious knee strike that almost blasted the air from Gohan's lungs.

'How is he hitting this hard?' Gohan wondered as a spinning backhand took him in the temple, throwing him away from Sasuke. Gohan righted himself in the air, floating, tantalizing, out of Sasuke's reach. The young Avenger started molding hand seals.

"Katon! Housenka no Jutsu!"

The fireballs raced for Gohan like bullets. The Saiyan's eyes narrowed in concentration, then he shot forward, vanishing only to reappear somewhere else. He dove right into the hail of fireballs without a second's thought. Not one touched him as he darted here, there, and everywhere, even seeming to sprout copies of himself a few times.

Sasuke kept up the barrage as he reached into a pouch, pulled out a handful of shuriken and added them to the mix, hurling them intermittently. Gohan kept up his vanish and reappear routing until the storm began to abate.

Then he went on the attack.

Gohan burst out of the firestorm, racing right for Sasuke. He threw another punch, Sasuke looping right under this one, but his Sharingan showed him the second punch too late.

Sasuke's world rocked, spinning wildly as he flew up into the sky.

Gohan appeared above him, fists clasped and cocked.

WHAM!

Sasuke went speeding earthward, the river that bisected the valley erupting as his body hit it. He burst from the water moments later, wet, bruised, and clearly pissed off. Gohan vanished, moving too fast for the naked eye, but Sasuke's Sharingan could see him the entire time.

Gohan hit Sasuke like a ton of bricks, plowing him right into the side of the canyon.

Seeing and reacting were two very different things after all.

Sasuke burst from the dust and debris, sprinting straight at Gohan. They dissolved into a dizzying series of blows, everything a blur, trading punches at full speed from about three feet away. Gohan stayed with it because of his finely tuned reflexes and Sasuke stayed in because of the Sharingan and his own fine reflexes. They traded punches for almost a minute, an eternity in a battle such as that, before Gohan managed to sneak a fast jab into Sasuke's chin, stunning him. Gohan grabbed Sasuke by the shirt, much as Sasuke had done to him earlier, but instead of a knee to the stomach, Gohan headbutted him instead.

Stars exploded in Sasuke's vision as Gohan's forehead met Sasuke's face, nearly breaking the Uchiha's nose. A sweep of the legs put Sasuke's stomach in his throat before Gohan's fist spiked him into the ground. Sasuke cried out, feeling the hard, unforgiving rock breaking beneath him like it was sugar candy.

Gohan held Sasuke by the wrist, keeping control, giving the Saiyan the option of breaking Sasuke's arm in a number of unpleasant ways should it really come to that. "Give it up, Sasuke," he said, "you can't win. Anymore would be pointless."

Sasuke bared bloody teeth at the other boy standing over him, the Sharingan shining with determination and anger. "Never," he said. "I'll never surrender, not to Konoha, not to Itachi, not to Orochimaru and…sure…as…hell…not…_YOU!_" He slammed his heel into the ground. A knife popped out of the toe of his sandals with a small 'snick', Sasuke lashing out with the weapon almost the second it appeared, trying to stab Gohan in the kidneys with it.

Gohan, keeping his hold on Sasuke's arm, leaped, flipped, landed then pulled hard. Sasuke left the ground as if jerked by a chain. "Dammit Sasuke!" Gohan shouted, hurling the Uchiha across the valley. He shot forward, hitting the other boy three times in the scant seconds it took Sasuke to fly the breadth of the valley.

The Uchiha's bones rattled under his skin as he hit the wall, thankfully robbed of enough of his momentum by Gohan's follow up attacks that he didn't hit at full force. That would've hurt. Gohan didn't give him a chance to recover, pulling him out of the depression he'd made, slamming him down and shoving a ball of glowing ki into Sasuke's face.

"Give it up already!"

Sasuke responded by throwing a fistful of sandy rock into Gohan's face. The other boy yelled, more in surprise than pain, stumbling back, wiping frantically at his eyes, trying to get his vision back. When Gohan's vision finally returned, it was just in time to see Sasuke put the finishing touches on a seal sequence.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The fireball roared out Sasuke's mouth, consuming Gohan. The other boy vanished into a wall of flames. Sasuke chocked the flow, smiling. "And that's it."

"What's it?"

Sasuke whirled. Gohan was standing behind him, totally unscathed except for the large hole burned into the side of one pants leg, the edges of the hole ringed with blackened, scorched fibers.

"Too slow," Gohan snarled before he vanished. Sasuke didn't even have time to react before Gohan's fist smashed into his face again. Sasuke rolled with the punch, softening the blow, but white stars still exploded in his vision as he spun head over heels through the air, bouncing twice over the water before managing to slide to a stop. Gohan grabbed him by the ankle, hauling him into the sky. His hip screamed in pain as Gohan stopped but whipped Sasuke's leg around.

The world howled up at the young Uchiha, who could only cross his arms protectively and try to angle his body towards the water.

It worked.

White spray erupted as Sasuke's body smashed into the river. Rain pattered down on the rocky shores. Gohan landed on those craggy banks, his gi turning dark orange with the water, the rain clinging to his unruly mop of hair. Sasuke burst from the water, coughing and hacking. He struggled to shore, dragging himself out, bedraggled and soaked to the bone.

Gohan leaped across the river, landing beside Sasuke. He didn't look angry. He looked sorrowful. Gohan's face was stone cast but his eyes shown with pity and sorrow. He hated doing this. Sasuke wasn't an enemy. He was tough to get along with, sure, stubborn, certainly, but never an enemy.

"Enough already," Gohan said softly.

"I'll never surrender to you!" Sasuke gagged out, spinning and thrusting with a knife. Gohan sidestepped, catching Sasuke's wrist, twisted it painfully, the knife clattering from Sasuke's limp grip, then hammered Sasuke in the face, releasing his hold on the Avenger's wrist.

Sasuke smashed through a rock, bounced twice over the pebbled riverbank, before slamming heavily into another boulder further away. He pulled himself free, wiping a bloody chin, his once-flawless skin scratched and bruised.

"Sasuke, please," Gohan said again, almost pleading. "Enough already. Do we really have to do this? What do you gain from all of it? What's the good of all this?"

"The power I need to defeat Itachi," Sasuke replied, staggering, stumbling but still very much ready to fight again, should Gohan come at him again. "The power I need to defeat you," he went on, glaring bloody daggers at his opponent, "and the ability to restore my clan!"

"Running from the village won't help you with any of that," Gohan replied.

Sasuke's eyes felt like they were burning. "Shut up, what would you know?" Sasuke asked. "You've got enough power to level cities, crush all of the five Great Nations like they're bugs. How would you know what's it like to have nothing?"

"You idiot!" Gohan shouted, losing his temper for just a second, a blast of ki-forced wind ripping across the valley. Sasuke thought he saw Gohan's eyes flash an angry jade for just a split second but it was so fast, he was sure he'd imagined it. "Do you think I was just born with this power? Do you think I'm just naturally skilled? Sasuke, I would love to have even half of the natural talent you do! But I don't! Everything I've gotten, I've gotten through blood, sweat, and tears! I've had help with everything! All the time, my friends are there, pushing me to new heights! I would never have gotten anywhere without them and everything I loved would be dead several times over!"

"I'm not soft like you," Sasuke said, finally allowing some of the pride that he'd held onto for so long to drop and letting Gohan see the inner turmoil in those blood-red eyes. That gave Gohan at least some hope. Maybe there was hope for Sasuke yet. "And I've gone too far along this path to turn back now." Then the turmoil was gone and with it, Gohan's hopes for a quick finish. "So I'm not turning away. I'll follow my own path and no one, not you, not Itachi, not Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, or even the damned Hokage herself, will be able to stop me!"

And with that, a determination that Sasuke had never known before washed over him, taking his fatigue and aches with it. Yes, he was beaten and battered, yes he was on the defensive, but he'd been in worse situations before and he wasn't going to back down now! The burning in his eyes intensified and all of a sudden, the world seemed to be moving slower, easier to see, somehow. Sasuke couldn't describe it. It was like trying to describe color to a man who had been blind his entire life.

Gohan shook his head. "Alright, Sasuke," he said finally. "I guess I'll have to drag you back to Konoha."

Neither noticed the tomoe in Sasuke's eyes shift and a third one bloom in the new space.

Gohan vanished.

Sasuke was surprised to see just how slowly Gohan was moving. He could see every motion, but the odd thing was there were two Gohans. There was a ghostly copy that was already thrusting forward with one fist and a second, more solid one that was just now starting to follow the first's movements. Sasuke had just a split second to realize what was happening before throwing himself to one side.

Gohan blasted past, the attack missing by a wide margin. Sasuke relished the shocked look on Gohan's face before countering with an attack of his own. Gohan vanished before Sasuke's attack even got close, but Sasuke wasted no time in rolling into an evasion of his own as Gohan dropped in from above, his heel shattering the hard rock of the riverbank.

Gohan frowned, wondering what was going on. It was like Sasuke was one step ahead of him, though he was still too slow to land a blow on Gohan but was now reacting just fast enough to evade Gohan's own attacks. It was a stalemate and one that Gohan had to figure out how to break.

They leaped apart, Sasuke landing on the river's surface, Gohan standing on a boulder that was at the foot of the waterfall that was framed by the statues of the Shodai and Uchiha Madara. The water that thundered down from above felt good, but Gohan couldn't dwell on it. He had a job to do, an opponent to defeat, and he couldn't let anything distract him from that.

"Transform," Sasuke said.

Gohan nearly slipped off his rock at the sudden command. "What?"

"You heard me," Sasuke replied. "Transform now. I want to fight you at your best."

"Why?"

"Because if I'm going to defeat Itachi, I need to be sure I can win against the best."

"You don't know what you're asking, Sasuke. Being confident is one thing, being ignorant and arrogant is another." Gohan eyed his opponent seriously, taking in the other boy, his slender frame, scored and nicked from all the times he'd gone barreling over the rocks, and the Sharingan, with its three comma marks…wait a second…three? Gohan blinked, but didn't give away more than that. 'I thought Sasuke only had two in each eye. Last I checked, three marks meant a mastered Sharingan, like what Kakashi has. Did Sasuke master it during our fight?'

"I know exactly what I'm asking," Sasuke retorted. "I saw you during the Chuunin Exams when you fought Lee. I know what you're capable of." He smirked. "I'm not going to underestimate you."

'You already have,' Gohan thought, but let it go at that. If Sasuke really wanted it that badly then he would have to learn the hard way. "Alright, Sasuke, if you want to fight a Super Saiyan, then I'm not going to deny you." He glared at Sasuke, his eyes bleeding from black to jade green. "Just remember, you asked for it!"

He sank into a low stance, his characteristic yell building in his throat, the river beneath him beginning to bubble and roil as if it was boiling. To Sasuke's surprise, the waterfall began to slow down as Gohan's power climbed until it bunched up just above him but continued to pound over the falls until it spilled over Gohan in a massive wave, like a cup holding too much water.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Gohan's voice echoed off the canyon, a brilliant blast of golden light spilling into the sky, visible for miles as the rays of energy grew brighter and brighter and brighter, obscuring everything. Finally there was a great noise like an explosion and the waterfall blew straight skyward, a massive torrent of white water that moved in complete defiance of gravity.

Sasuke shielded his eyes from the flying water and the blinding light.

"Okay, Sasuke," Gohan's voice said. "Let's go again."

* * *

Yamato and Kakashi hurtled through the trees that were increasingly becoming grassland. The border was rapidly approaching and time was running out. They took to the trees again, neither saying a word, knowing that they had to reach the Valley before the fight was over, either to witness Sasuke's departure or, more likely in both shinobi's opinion, scrape up both boys and cart them back for medical treatment.

Kids these days, Yamato thought morosely but with humor.

Light blasted out from in front of them. There was a second's delay before the shockwave hit them, still stunningly powerful even at this distance, Gohan's yells for power just barely audible in the torrent of energy and force. As they got closer, drops of water plunked down around them. Both looked up, startled, at the heavy leaden skies. Rain was likely because the rainy season in the Fire Country had begun to arrive. Kakashi hoped it wouldn't. In addition to all of the usual tactical problems that came from rain, a shinobi could vanish just as effectively as he could in the mist.

Rain sloughed down all around them, soaking them briefly before it was done and they pressed on. "Rain?" Yamato asked, his tone telling Kakashi that the ANBU had thought about much the same problems that the jounin had.

"No," Kakashi replied as he thought about it. "Gold light, massive shockwaves, screams on the wind, there's nothing else it could be. Gohan's transformed. Why, I have no idea, but it means he's bringing out the big guns. That was water from the river." As if to back Kakashi up, Yamato saw a few gasping fish laying on the ground, salmon that were common in the region.

"Then I think we should hurry it up."

"Yeah."

Sakura stirred and woke up. "Kakashi-sensei?" She asked, dazed. They stopped so Sakura could run on her own and free up Yamato but that was all and they were moving ahead explaining the situation as they went.

* * *

Sasuke's heart pounded in his chest, his breath catching in his throat, adrenalin pumping through him. Gohan stood across from him, still on that rock, the waterfall thundering as before, as if it had never been blown skyward by the power of ki alone. Sasuke's hand clenched and unclenched, more from nerves than from anything else. He had a second's doubt about his demand for Gohan to go all out but as Sasuke thought about it, he realized that he wanted this. To fight against an opponent that stacked the odds heavily against Sasuke. To test his new abilities in the heat of battle. It was what all martial artists wanted, from samurai to shinobi, since the beginning of time.

Hard jade eyes glared at Sasuke from under Gohan's usual mop of hair, except his hair was now a vivid gold. The gold flame that haloed Gohan's body vanished, the silence in the Valley eerie after its determined and constant chirping. "Well?" Gohan asked. "Is this what you wanted?"

Sasuke's mouth was dry but he nodded, an anticipating grin coming over his face the longer he watched. "Let's see what you've got!" he replied.

"Fine."

Gohan vanished. Sasuke's vision filled with four knuckles. He twisted into a dodge, trying to lean out of the way. He wasn't quite fast enough, Gohan's thumbnail splitting his cheek open, but Sasuke retaliated with a knife, his kunai diving for an opening that he'd found in Gohan's guard thanks to the Sharingan. Gohan's feet dug in, spraying rocks everywhere as he tried to arrest his momentum. He hopped backwards, bouncing once off his hands and back to his feet. Blood dribbled down his cheek from a gash that mirrored Sasuke's own.

"Blood for blood," Sasuke said, wiping his own cheek clean.

Gohan said nothing for a moment as he swiped his thumb across his cut, cleaning the blood off. "Awfully excited for a little paper cut, aren't you?" He replied, setting his stance again. Sasuke rushed ahead, kunai leading as a second appeared in his free hand. Gohan backpedaled, ahead of the kunai, arms and hands weaving in defensive gestures, knocking the knives out even wider. Gohan feinted high, trying to set Sasuke back on his heels, but the Uchiha didn't fall for it, his Sharingan showing him the truth of the diversion. So Gohan's next attack wasn't a feint. Sasuke crossed his hands, palms open in a block.

Gohan's fist nearly broke both of Sasuke's hands just from the impact. Sasuke looked down, startled to see the ground speeding by just beneath his sandal toes. He touched down, skidding back, on his heels but still very much in balance. Gohan was already coming, having flown off for the speeding body of the other teen. Gohan dropped an axe kick on Sasuke's kick, which was blocked by an upraised forearm. Sasuke nearly cried out as he felt one of the bones in his forearm crack, nearly breaking under the force. If he hadn't angled it to deflect the blow, it would have for certain.

WHAM!

Sasuke's ears rang, white-hot pain exploding between his ears as Gohan slashed with his other foot, catching Sasuke in the back of the head, driving him forward, stumbling madly as he tried to stay upright. All Gohan had to do to knock him down was seize the Uchiha by scruff of his neck and pull, tripping Sasuke with one foot in a textbook martial arts sweep. Sasuke managed to get enough of his wits around him to add momentum to his fall, slamming his palms into the ground, arm screaming in protest so much that Sasuke grunted but forged ahead, wrapping his thighs around Gohan's neck and using his falling weight to tug the Saiyan along for the ride.

Both boys smashed to the deck, Gohan on his head, neck bending at a weird angle that sent hot pokers of fire through his neck and back, Sasuke on the top of his back, rattling the Uchiha's teeth in his skull.

In a blur of motion they were both on their feet but Gohan was faster, ever the faster one, hammering Sasuke again and again, driving Sasuke to his knees, unable to even slow the barrage. Sasuke fell forward, completely spent, but Gohan's fist caught his shirt and held him up on his knees, Sasuke's head lolling around, Sharingan no longer clear and sharp but dull and muddied with Sasuke's own dazed confusion. Briefly, Sasuke couldn't tell where he was or even who he was fighting, but when he saw Gohan glaring down at him, seemingly from miles away, gold hair and vivid jade eyes, as cold as green ice, the most outstanding features in Sasuke's memory.

"For the final time, Sasuke," Gohan declared. "I win."

* * *

Finally done! I know it's way late, but I recently got a full-time job and it's been killing any urge I've had to write stories. But that's my problem and not you guys, so thank you for being so patient. And now we've come to the final battle. All that's left is Gohan vs. Sasuke and that's it and on to Return. Look forward to it!

**Glossary**

**Tessenka no Mai: Hana (Dance of the Clemantis: Hana)**: Kimimaro's spine sword swells up until it covers his entire forearm. It's massive enough that it almost went through Gaara's Shukaku idol defense thing.

**Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru (Dance of the Clemantis: Vine): **Kimimaro rips his spine out of his body and uses it as a sword. The vertabrae are sharpened to cut something. Also can extend and contract. Think of it as a Naruto-verse version of Bleach's Renji Abarai's Zabimaru.

**Raiton: Raiju Hashiri no Jutsu (Lightning Style: Lightning Beast Running Technique): **This jutsu creates a beast of chakra that is made of lighting, like the name suggests. The beast remains conncected to the user, allowing him to control it for multiple attacks.

**Raibunshin no Jutsu (Lightning Clone Technique): **Used by Kakashi but not named. Kage Bunshin but with Lightning Style techniques. When this one gets 'popped' instead of dispelling into smoke like a normal Kage Bunshin, it electrocutes and paralyzes the enemy.

**Chidori/Raikiri: **If you don't know what these jutsu are by this point, then you're not a Naruto fan. ^_^


	42. Unraveling

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

* * *

_In a blur of motion they were both on their feet but Gohan was faster, ever the faster one, hammering Sasuke again and again, driving Sasuke to his knees, unable to even slow the barrage. Sasuke fell forward, completely spent, but Gohan's fist caught his shirt and held him up on his knees, Sasuke's head lolling around, Sharingan no longer clear and sharp but dull and muddied with Sasuke's own dazed confusion. Briefly, Sasuke couldn't tell where he was or even who he was fighting, but when he saw Gohan glaring down at him, seemingly from miles away, gold hair and vivid jade eyes, as cold as green ice, the most outstanding features in Sasuke's memory._

_"For the final time, Sasuke," Gohan declared. "I win."_

* * *

That was how Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, and a newly-conscious Naruto found the two boys. Sasuke was on his knees, battered, bruised, and very disoriented, and Gohan standing over him, a powerful figure, a hole burned into the fabric of one pants leg, scratched and bruised, but nowhere near as much as Sasuke. The other four drew up short in shock, standing on the precipice that speared almost straight down into the valley. On their right stood the statue of the Shodai Hokage and the waterfall, on their left, the deep chasm in the earth that went for as far as they could see, the river thundering on before it left the crags of the Valley of the End and flowed through much gentler rolling hills to the ocean to the east.

"It's over already?" Sakura asked, looking to Kakashi. The jounin was clearly as startled as she was, his eyes fixed with hawkish intensity on Gohan and Sasuke.

"I'm not sure, Sakura," Kakashi replied and let it go at that. He sounded distracted and it wasn't hard to guess why. They'd expected a much longer battle. Gohan and Sasuke hadn't been fighting for even two hours yet. Kakashi didn't even think they were at the hour mark as a matter of fact.

Naruto remained silent, blue eyes pained as he watched his two best friends battle it out.

* * *

Down in the valley, Sasuke's wits began to return to him. He tried to speak, but the marbles in his mouth made the venomous remark he had on the tip of his tongue come out garbled and inaudible. He was still a little loopy though. He'd never been hit that hard in his life. It seemed like Gohan was beyond him. Sasuke's world fell away again and he suddenly drifted on the clouds of his thoughts.

He thought about everything he'd been doing up to this point. Hadn't he worked hard? Hadn't he always strived to be the best? When had everything gone south? His heart began to pound in his ears. Was this all he had? Was this it?

THU-THUMP

Dammit! Sasuke's ire at his own inability to even touch the Super Saiyan that was holding him up became a white-hot ball of phosphorus in his gut, a steaming hot rage that cleansed all of the wooziness from his brain, waking him up fully and completely.

THU-THUMP!

He grabbed Gohan by the wrist and jerked hard. Gohan, not ready for it, had his grip broken, his arm bent to a horrid angle before being bashed in the ribs by a cruel heel, driving him into the ground and away from Sasuke, who stood on his own again.

THU-THUMP!

Itachi would be unattainable without the skills of the best! Sasuke knew that in his bone marrow and he was determined to have the power to avenge his clan. After that, who knew? Maybe he would return to Konoha and reestablish the clan, maybe not. He would cross that bridge when he got there. For now, there was only one thing that was left to him and that was to defeat Son Gohan!

THUMP THUMP!

The spectators on the ridge leaned forward in surprise and maybe a little guilty anticipation when Sasuke suddenly exploded into motion and kicked Gohan away. The blond-haired teen hit the ground, rolled with the impact and bounded right back to his feet, hands coming up into guard. Sasuke glared death at the other boy as black flame marks raced across his skin, but this time they were different. The marks of the Cursed Seal didn't cover Sasuke from head to toe like they did before. Instead they were much more sparse, more conservative somehow.

Gohan's jade eyes narrowed in almost physical disgust when he felt he foul ki begin rushing out from his opponent's body like a fog of miasma. Sasuke flexed his fingers, his cracked arm searing with pain before it vanished entirely. Healed or numbed, Sasuke didn't know and frankly, he didn't much give a damn right then. The power rushing through him was heady, intoxicating. Was this how Gohan felt every time he transformed, Sasuke wondered?

"Now what?" Gohan muttered. "I thought we were done here."

"Not yet," Sasuke replied, reading the other's lips just as easily as if Gohan had spoken audibly. Gohan blinked in grudging surprise but didn't let on more than that. "There's one last trump card for me to play." The dark marks all over Sasuke's body began to thicken, glowing with unholy power.

Gohan vanished and reappeared far above the valley walls. His hands clasped in front of his forehead. A bright ball of yellow-white light burst to life. "Masenko!" Gohan screamed, unleashing the attack. The pillar of energy filled the gloomy overcast skies with the light of the sun.

Everyone was blown clean off their feet when the attack exploded, blowing a massive bowl out of the Valley of the End in a similar manner to how it had been created those long years ago by Madara and Hashirama. The four watching the battle were forced to run or be consumed. Gohan knew it was reckless to let loose an attack like that with Sakura and the others so close by, but he had no other option. He couldn't let Sasuke complete that…whatever it was he was doing.

Emerald eyes narrowed to green ice chips when he saw the movement in the smoke below. Gohan let out a yell as two balls of ki appeared in his hands, aura blazing to full power at the same time.

Hell rained down on the Valley, peppering the already ravaged landscape below with new explosions, each one going off with the force of a bomb. Gohan couldn't see Sasuke per se but he could sense him and if he could sense him, he could hit him. Gohan rained death and destruction down on the Uchiha's head, showing just why Frieza had so feared the Saiyan race and feared what could come from them should the conditions be right.

* * *

Finally, mercifully, Gohan's rain of death let up and silence fell once again. The world was quiet except for the howl of the wind. The clash of the titans in the area had long ago scared off all the wildlife and Gohan had blown most of the fish clean out of the river when he'd transformed. Sakura, Yamato, Kakashi, and Naruto were all prone on the ground, sheltering with their arms over their heads, the only thing they could do when the streaks of yellow death had come screaming down, only a few dozen yards from them.

The concussion of the blasts was something Sakura wouldn't soon forget. The earth had jumped as if it was scared, the very soil vibrating like a drumhead. Her ears were ringing from the cacophony of the strikes and Sakura was surprised that she wasn't blind from the flashes of light, wasn't dead from the burns from the heat of the explosions, and hadn't been torn asunder by the shockwaves.

For a few moments, no one moved, simply listened to the rising roar of the water flooding into the new craters, creating a myriad of whirlpools and the clatter of the small rocks and grit that rained down on them, blasted skyward by Gohan's onslaught, all around them.

"Just when I think I know what that kid can do," Kakashi muttered as he stood up, the others following his lead. Yamato and the rest didn't say anything. _Couldn't _say anything. They all knew that Gohan was terrifically powerful, but this was the first time that they could remember where he'd simply cut loose and brought down all hell.

* * *

Gohan watched and waited, somehow knowing that Sasuke was still alive despite the attack. He didn't have to wait long. The pounding surf and flying spray soon cleared the area. What it revealed only deepened the scowl that every Super Saiyan wore in combat, almost habitually.

There was a pair of hands on the water. At least they looked like hands to Gohan. They were horribly misshapen though, with webbing made up of what looked like smaller fingers stretched between the five main digits. The warrior vanished, fazing out, reappearing on the crags of the shore, what little of it was left. The hands stirred and began to separate like a caterpillar shedding its cocoon. The hands slurped horribly as they pulled apart, like the flesh was moist and was sticking to itself.

First one hand unfurled, then the other and Gohan realized what they were with a thrill of horror. Those hellish hands were sprouting right out of Sasuke's back. They had burst right through his shirt to protect him. And that wasn't all.

Sasuke's once-pale skin was a muddy tan, like he'd been laying out in the sun for too long. His hair was longer and instead of dark black like usual, his tresses were somewhere between a steely blue, gray, and white. It was an odd color. Sasuke's real natural hands ended with fingernails that were long and sharp, like the claws of a big cat or the talons of a predatory bird. Black tattoos laced Sasuke's forearms, swirls of tribal lines that made no sense to Gohan, the lone exception being the four pointed star that splashed right across Sasuke's face, from between his eyes to the edge of his blackened lips and stretching to the edge of his eyes, which were now black, like Jiroubou's had been. Sasuke's eyes would have been tawny, had they been normal, but right now, the black eyes only served to heighten the bloody crimson of the Sharingan.

"Oh Sasuke," Sakura whispered into the eerie silence that had fallen over the valley. "What have you done?"

"Your joining up gift from Orochimaru?" Gohan asked, trying not to show the uneasy disgust he felt. "The Curse Seal did this to you, didn't it."

"Yes," Sasuke answered, flexing a hand, looking satisfied. "I've held off on using this. I don't know what will happen to me if I dye myself with this power. I'll admit I was scared of using it."

"You should be, Sasuke," Gohan replied. "Something like that can't be good for you. You've been told what the Curse Seal does to you, right? Ever since you got it, you've been volatile, angry, conceited, all those things that make you a crappy person to be around. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Gohan gestured angrily. "What do you think will happen if you use the more advanced state! Sasuke, you know that it erodes your mind!"

"And what of it?" Sasuke asked. "Does it matter? All I want in life is to kill my brother. That's been my goal from day one and I've never made a secret about it. You've fought Itachi. You know what he's like, what he can do. You know how much power it takes to slow him down."

Gohan thought of his time in Tsukuyomi and shuddered. He hadn't told anyone, not even Shizune, but ever since he'd gone through that hellish genjutsu, he'd had nightmares, bad ones, terrifying and vivid, that brought him awake in the wee hours of the morning in a cold sweat with a bout of the shakes. The reason he hadn't told anyone was simple. What was he supposed to say? Sorry, but I'm having bad dreams? It sounded stupid, even in his head.

"If I can get the power to kill Itachi through Orochimaru, then I don't care what it does to me in the long term," Sasuke went on. He smirked at Gohan, his lips blue from a lack of blood or a change in the melanin in his skin, Gohan didn't know for sure. "Now stop stalling and attack me. I want to see how I stack up to the oh-so-great Son Gohan."

Gohan came at him like a freight train. His fist had all the subtlety of a flying hammer behind it, every ounce of Gohan's body weight behind it and then some. He had the mass and the acceleration. Physics dictated that Gohan's fist should've met Sasuke's cheek with impunity and blown him clean off his feet and probably _through_ the walls of the valley.

It didn't happen.

Sasuke set his feet, practically glowing with chakra, and met the attack. His block met solidly and stopped Gohan cold, though he was blown back a fair distance. Water wasn't the best for traction after all. But the point had been made. Up to this point, Sasuke had been deflecting and dodging, always trying to roll with the hits when they found him to cut some of the impact out of them. This was the first one he'd actually stood fast against.

The look on Gohan's face, Sasuke decided, was well worth the risk.

"I could get used to this," Sasuke said as he looked at his palms, bruised, but that was it. "And with the Sharingan, I can see your every move coming even before you make it." He grinned, showing canines sharpened to dangerous points. "I've surpassed you."

Gohan relaxed his stance, standing straight, but Sasuke didn't move to attack. He knew that Gohan could snap up an attack pretty damn quick just from the way that the Saiyan boy held his shoulders and set his feet. Gohan knew that Sasuke would just counter any blow that he could make and with this new version of the Curse Seal, it looked to Gohan like the battle had taken another turn for the worst.

"Sasuke…"

"Shut up," Sasuke snarled. "I'm done talking with you. I've had enough of it. Don't keep trying to sell me your damned pretty words about friends and how much they can help."

"But they can," Gohan replied. "No one will work harder with you than those guys up on that cliff." Both boys looked up and saw Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato all watching with keen interest and maybe more than a little trepidation. "They'll help. They'll sweat and bleed for you, Sasuke. They'll motivate you, be there for you when you fight Itachi." Gohan looked at Sasuke again. "Congratulate you when you win." Gohan offered a hand. "Come on, Sasuke. Let's end it here and go back to Konoha. We'll train, all of us. When we're done, you'll be ready for Itachi, I promise you."

Sasuke was silent for a long time, so long in fact, Gohan thought that Sasuke would really go for it and finally come back to the village. Then, to Gohan's surprise, Sasuke's façade dropped away entirely and Gohan saw, again, the tormented, lonely, scared, soul that was buried deep within Sasuke's being. "Maybe if things had happened at little differently, we wouldn't be in this situation," Sasuke said softly, looking more vulnerable than he ever had, despite his fearsome exterior. This was the true Sasuke, the one he had to hide lest he show some weakness that an enemy, Itachi or otherwise, could exploit.

"It's not too late to undo old mistakes, Sasuke. Maybe I could have found a different way to tell the Sandaime about your seal, one that didn't get you yanked right away," Gohan admitted.

"And I shouldn't have rushed headlong into fighting Orochimaru," Sasuke replied. "Mistakes were made all around."

"They were," Gohan agreed. "So lets put it all behind us and start over."

"What's happening?" Naruto asked, squinting down at the two boys as they talked, practically dancing on tiptoes.

"I think Gohan might be getting through to Sasuke," Kakashi answered. "Settle down and lets see how this goes."

"But," Sasuke went on and Gohan felt whatever hope he'd had die in his stomach, something that was cemented when Sasuke's vulnerable look faded away and was replaced by the coldly superior look Gohan had known for the last hour or so, "I'm committed to this path. I can't turn back now just because mistakes were made. Itachi is waiting for me at the end of this road and if I back off now…" he shook his head. "This fight will end only one way. One of us will kill the other."

"So it's your ideal, Sasuke?" Gohan asked a thought suddenly occurring to him. "Is that it?"

"This is. I'll never turn from the path I decide to walk." He glanced up at Naruto on the lip of the crater. "That's _my_ Nindo, my Ninja Way."

"I see, Sasuke," Gohan replied, lowering himself into a fighting stance. "I get it now. I don't like it, but I get it." Sasuke believed that he had to kill Itachi to avenge his clan. To that end, he'd decided that he couldn't hesitate. He had to keep moving forward, had to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

No matter the bridges he had to burn and friends he had to leave behind.

The battle he would have with Itachi wouldn't forgive any mistakes. To prepare for that battle, Sasuke lived his life doing what he personally believed in. He couldn't regret any decision, otherwise he might doubt himself during the battle with his elder brother. It was admirable in a way. Not in the present circumstances perhaps, but admirable nonetheless.

"So if you understand, then stand aside," Sasuke said, wings twitching, the Uchiha's fingers flexing .

"I can't Sasuke," Gohan answered. The twin Sharingan across from Gohan narrowed dangerously. "I can't let you go to Orochimaru, dead or alive. I may not like you very much, but people I _do_ care for won't stand back and let you walk away." Gohan held out one fist, determination to match Sasuke's shining in the hard jade eyes. "If your Nindo is to determine your own path whatever the cost, then mine is to do whatever it takes to help my friends!"

* * *

"Come on, Sakura-chan!" Naruto snarled as they watched the battle speed toward resumption, the blond unable to just sit by any longer. "I'm not going to let Gohan and Sasuke-bastard fight it out alone!"

"Right," Sakura agreed, legs coiling to follow the blond. They knew it might be a losing prospect. They were both wounded, winded, and tired, but they weren't going to just sit back any longer!

"Stop!"

Kakashi's voice was hard, harsh, and brooked no room for argument. "You both will stay right where you are."

"What?" The duo asked together.

Kakashi looked like he wanted to follow them but something stopped him. "This has become a battle that neither of you can stop either by jumping in or shouting at them from here."

"Why?" Naruto asked sullenly.

"This battle has become one of ideals," Kakashi answered. "Neither of them will stop now, not until one of them has emerged able to walk or breath, whichever comes first. There's no room for you in this battle, not unless you're willing to become an ideal of your own."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"To put it another way," Yamato said, stepping up beside Kakashi. "Those two boys have become fanatics. On the left is Sasuke, who will follow his own heart and ambitions no matter the cost, and on the right is Gohan, who will stop at nothing to help his friends and help them achieve their dreams. If Sasuke loses, his course will be dictated by Gohan. That is reprehensible to Sasuke. If Gohan loses, then he cannot help his friends. That is reprehensible to Gohan. Neither wants to lose but both know that one will. They are both determined to make sure it's the other." The pretend jounin's eyes were serious and somber. "If you were to interfere, they would either shove you out forcefully or simply ignore you. Nothing can stop them now."

* * *

"Last chance, Sasuke," Gohan said.

"Same to you…Gohan." Sasuke said with a smirk. Gohan nodded in acknowledgement. By using Gohan's first name that way, Sasuke had named the Son boy as a worthy opponent and rival. Gohan had gotten himself his own personal Vegeta.

Gohan lunged forward, clearing the distance between them in seconds. His feet and hands worked in a blur. He knew Sasuke could see every motion, knew it was coming, and so had decided to overwhelm the other boy with sheer blitzkrieg tactics. Sasuke worked in a blur as well, ducking, deflecting, blocking, moving at speeds he'd never been capable of before, the Cursed Seal rejuvenating him with a most satisfying rush of power and adrenalin.

Over the waters they danced, they two, feet and hands and other appendages working in an almost dance like performance that stole the breath of those watching. Before it had been a battle of two strengths clashing, each seeking to outdo the other, but now, now the battle had become something more and the combat reflected it, becoming smoother, more harmonious as Gohan and Sasuke mimicked, watched, and categorized each others movements.

Gohan grunted as they worked their dance back the other way, Gohan giving ground as he decided to shift more towards the defensive, conserve energy for when it would matter. Sasuke pressed in hard during that time, for he had been doing the exact same thing before. The seconds wore on, the boys shifting through their defense-offense routine several times. Gohan knew that he had to act. Sasuke was probably using his Sharingan even then to predict Gohan's next move. He had to have memorized a good portion of Gohan's fighting style, and Gohan had gotten the feel for Sasuke's as well.

This battle was stalemating again and fast. Gohan had to disable the Sharingan.

Gohan turned a blow aside but instead of going on the offense like he had before, Gohan instead hopped back right as Sasuke recoiled. Sasuke, knowing that Gohan was trying set up for something, rushed in.

"I won't give you the chance!" Sasuke shouted as he lunged.

Gohan's hands came up to his temples, fingers spread, palms inward. "Taiyoken!" Gohan shouted.

Sasuke yelled in surprise and a little pain as his world was suddenly a mass of bright white light. It was intense, brighter than the star the technique was named for. An ordinary person would've been blinded for several seconds. A dojutsu user like Sasuke, Itachi, the Hyuugas and others had the effect multiplied several times over. When the light finally faded, Sasuke had long since passed the point to where he couldn't see anything. All he saw was a black blur, his pupils contracted so much that it looked like he didn't have any at all.

He could see dark shapes and nothing more, no details, nothing. The only thing he could see reliably was the afterimage of Gohan launching the technique, that picture almost seared right onto his retina.

Gohan wasted no time and didn't pull any punches. He hammered Sasuke like he had before only harder. Sasuke couldn't see, couldn't feel anything but the drubbing of Gohan's fists, couldn't hear anything but the pounding of bone and flesh.

Gohan drew back with a battle cry and whaled his fist into Sasuke's abdomen so hard that it lifted Sasuke off his feet then dropped him straight down like a sack of wet cement. Sasuke lay at Gohan's feet coughing as the wind was blasted right from his lungs and struggled hard to come back. He lay there for a second or two trying to fill his emptied lungs when the crunch of Gohan's feet on the rocks gave him away.

Sasuke forced his body into motion, wings flaring like an angry hawk, making Gohan stumble back in surprise. Sasuke followed the noise and stayed low kicking out with a leg. His lips curled in a satisfied smirk as he felt his ankle meet Gohan's heel and take it out from under the Super Saiyan. His other wing came around and hammered into Gohan. The large area spread out the impact, but Gohan still flew back and hammered hard into the now sloping rock walls of the Valley.

He cried out as he bounced.

Again Sasuke homed in on the noise, a Chidori flaring to life in his hands. It was small, experimental. Sasuke didn't expect it to hit and it didn't. Gohan kicked his feet up over his head, back rolling upright right as the Chidori slammed home, splitting rock with the shriek of birds. Gohan pushed into the sky, flying up behind the mutated Sasuke. Ki glowed to life in his hands as he leveled the prepping attack, intending to hit Sasuke in the back of the head. The blow would be hard enough to kill or render unconscious. It would depend on Sasuke but Gohan was confident the other boy could survive it, now that he knew what truly drove Sasuke ahead.

Sasuke knew his back was vulnerable and closed his wings around himself not a second too soon. The boy lurched as Gohan's attack hit home, followed by another and another as the saiyan tried to break through Sasuke's defense. The fleshy nature of the wings allowed them to absorb the damage but Sasuke didn't get away unscathed. His new wings were torn and bleeding, the pain searing, but he kept his cool and noted, with a flash of relief, that his eyesight was returning.

When he finally faced Gohan again, he was smirking again and Gohan didn't miss that Sasuke's pupils were dilated back to normal again. It wasn't hard to miss with those red eyes of his. Despite himself, Gohan grinned. He hated battles like this, but the innate lust for battle he and all those like him possessed was only magnified by the Super Saiyan transformation and fighting Sasuke, who wasn't exactly a slouch of opponent, was making Gohan's blood boil in a very satisfying way.

Sasuke grinned wolfishly back and in that moment an indelible bond was formed. It wasn't a bond of friendship, though if Sasuke came back to Konoha it would probably blossom into that. No, now Sasuke and Gohan understood each other in a way that few others did. This was different then the brotherly bond shared by Naruto and Gohan and Sasuke and Itachi. This was a bond forged in the fires of battle. Throughout history, there had been such men, warriors who were enemies and would happily kill each other but respected each other enough to welcome the clash of arms, even if the battle proved to be inconclusive. Goku and Vegeta were two and now there was Son Gohan and Uchiha Sasuke. It was communication on a primal level.

The axiom that says history always repeats itself proved to be true after all.

"What are you grinning about?" Sasuke attempted to snarl, but it changed on the way and came out much lighter.

"I could ask you the same thing, Sasuke," Gohan replied.

"You can't win," Sasuke said.

"We'll see about that. I haven't even gotten my second wind."

"You'll need it now. Katon!" Sasuke's hands formed seals so fast that they were nothing but tan blurs. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" The fireball roared forward, its flames a roiling mass of loose white fire.

Gohan dodged fast, grunting as he felt the air superheat around him almost to the point of causing burns, just by the passage. The fireball hit the slope of the Valley behind Gohan. The very rocks caught fire in a flash, burning so hot and hard that they heated molten, sloughing off as melted glass.

"Wow, clear flames," Gohan muttered. "Hot stuff, no pun intended."

"Katon! Housenka!"

Gohan didn't even look at Sasuke to see where the balls would go. It would be useless if the smaller fireballs were anything like one the other boy had just used. Gohan couldn't see them coming so he plunged straight down, the splash of water from the new lake forming in the Valley rising high into the sky.

The pillar hissed angrily, holes appearing in it as the fireballs drilled through. The fireballs themselves became visible as roiling balls of angry blue and white flame as their temperature dropped sharply on contact with the water.

"Look out!" Kakashi shouted as he tackled Sakura, driving her down out of the line of fire, Yamato pulling Naruto clear as well. The fireballs hit a second later, turning the grasses behind them into an inferno. Yamato molded hand seals, creating a pillar of water that extinguished the flames before they got too far out of hand, leaving scorched earth behind.

Gohan powered down to the lakebed, landing in a cloud of silt. He glared up, stretching his senses. He picked up Sasuke easily enough and crouched, cupping his hands at his side. 'He wants to play hardball?' Gohan thought with a smirk. 'Then let's play!'

The lake exploded outward, the Kamehameha punching its way out with no effort, streaking at Sasuke. The Uchiha hadn't expected Gohan's aim to be dead on and he didn't expect the attack to be so big, so fast. There was no way he could escape in time and his damaged wings wouldn't withstand something like this!

Sasuke felt a solid peace come over him, oddly enough. There was no shame in losing to Son Gohan, he supposed. Something within Sasuke released, a tension he didn't know he'd been carrying, and he smiled, at peace with what was about to happen to him. He'd thought himself ready, thought he could win. He'd gambled and lost. "Well played, Gohan," he said.

The Kamehameha consumed him in a river of bright blue-white light.

The explosion was terrific, larger than the barrage of ki blasts and the Masenko that Gohan had let loose before. The detonation rose over the Valley as a huge white dome that hummed and buzzed, a literal wall of power that would be difficult for anyone to surmount easily.

Again the spectators took flight, this time from their own ally as the dome expanded, carving the bowl in the Valley wider and deeper. The statues of Madara and the Shodai, which had stood as a monument to the creators of the Valley of the End for years, weathered the initial rush of ki, but slowly, pieces began to flake off the statues as the blast expanded outward. It started slowly at first but rapidly picked up the pace until they simply dissolved and were blown away.

The concussion knocked everyone off their feet and deafened them for a long few minutes. Gohan leaped out of the crater floor before the tons of water from what was left of the waterfall could smother him. He landed on the now-gently sloped walls of a much larger crater. In only weeks, maybe even days, there would be a new lake on the border of Fire and Grass Countries, but for now, all there was was a shallow pool, no deeper than a swimming pool, though it was filling at a pretty good rate.

Gohan glanced around for Sasuke, but couldn't see, hear, or sense him. Jade eyes flickered from left to right, scanning, but didn't see anything. Warily, Gohan allowed his transformation to fade, hair bleeding to black, eyes following, and his chirping aura fading to silence last.

"Is it over?" Naruto asked, looking into the valley. "Man," he breathed. "I…I don't think Sasuke made it out of that." His voice cracked at the end and tears began to leak out of his cerulean eyes.

"Has to be some hint of a body somewhere," Kakashi replied. "Even if it is only ash. We'd better go down and look."

They started down the slope but as they took their first steps, Sakura saw something at the upper edge of her vision. She looked and squinted slightly. She didn't recognize the person at first, but she jumped like she'd touched an electric wire when she finally realized who was up there.

"GOHAN-KUN!" She screamed.

Everyone looked back at her, startled at her sudden scream. It wasn't hard to hear the horror and disbelief in her voice.

Gohan's neck cricked he whipped his head around fast, following Sakura's pointing finger. When he saw who was over there, he too felt like he'd touched an electric wire, his heart skipping a beat or two.

"That…it's…That's not possible!" Yamato shouted. "It's an illusion! It has to be!"

"It can't be," Kakashi breathed. "He's…alive!"

"Who is it?" Naruto asked, squinting, shadowing his eyes with one hand. Kakashi, Yamato, and Naruto, standing right next to Gohan, were blown right off their feet when the teen flared right back to Super Saiyan.

"You bastard!" Gohan shouted across the crater, his voice angry, angrier than anyone in his current group of traveling companions had ever heard him. "How the hell are you still alive!"

His appearance changed far beyond what Gohan remembered, beyond what anyone remembered, that shadowy figure threw back his head and laughed.

"!"

Orochimaru was back.

* * *

Plot twist! Dundundun! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know I had fun writing it. You didn't really think I would kill off Orochimaru at this stage did you? Nope, he's still around. As to just how he survived Gohan's attack, well that's a story for next chapter. Also in next chapter will be Sasuke's final fate, though I think that should be obvious. We're another chapter closer to the close of this story and the opening of Return! Look forward to it! Speaking of which, I'd better release a few more details...

- It will be the Shippuden continuation of Dilemma

- It will also be Post-Buu, by roughly six months to a year. Keep in mind, Gohan is thirteen here so it's a few years after he fought Cell, which happened when he was 11 or so.

- Yes, Gohan will be Mystic. I'm also changing a few things about Mystic Gohan, but I think they'll be a good thing.

- Power revamp. This has got to be the single most common complaint I've gotten about Dilemma from the purists out there. To those purists, Bite Me. Anyway, since I didn't know that Dragonball GT wasn't canon at the time this story was started, I took SS4 into account. I've since learned differently. So instead of two tails per SSJ, now it's going to be 3, which means that a full Kyuubi will take an SS3 to stop. I've got a few scenes whirling around in my head about just such an encounter. Whether or not I use them is another story. *Insert Evil Grin Here*

- Other DBZ characters. Yes. There will be more. As of right now they will be Gohan, Goku, and Piccolo for starters with others to come in later. Those 'Others' will remain unidentified for now and won't be in the story until much, much, _much_ further down the road.

- Finally, yes, Gohan will keep training for the interlude between Dilemma and Return. He's not going to be the second-string character he was in DBZ at that time.

And that's all! See you next time!


	43. Orochimaru's Revenge

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Orochimaru's laughter echoed over what was left of the Valley of the End, freezing everyone in their shoes. Gohan was literally shaking with rage. How? He demanded of himself. How? How? HOW? That was all he could think, that one word chasing itself around inside his skull.

While Orochimaru was busy laughing, Gohan took stock of just how much the Sannin had changed since the battle they'd had in Tanzaku, what seemed like a lifetime ago, even though it was a month, month and a half maximum. Orochimaru's hair was stringier than before. Before, his hair had been a long dark wave that would've made any beauty pageant contestant green with envy. Orochimaru's hair now looked like coarse steel wire, pushed farther up on his head now into the sharp V of a Widow's Peak that could compete with Vegeta's any day of the week.

The face was different as well. Orochimaru's handsome features were long gone, replaced instead by the narrow, triangular-shaped jaw that could be found on most snakes. His mouth with regular sized, or at least that's what it looked like until Gohan looked closer and saw that the Sannin's jaw was actually a good deal wider than it appeared. When people spoke of having an ear-to-ear grin, they didn't mean it literally, though the missing-nin no longer had ears to speak of. Orochimaru's nose had been reduced to two narrow slits, the nostrils barely an interruption in the new sleek head the Sannin was sporting.

Gohan also felt chills when he realized that Orochimaru also sported two full rows of savage-looking teeth, more akin to great white shark than any kind of snake Gohan had ever come across. Purplish fluid coated the teeth, some of it running down the Sannin's chin, dripping grotesquely but sizzling when it hit the rocks at the ninja's feet.

'Poison,' Gohan noted grimly. Orochimaru's laughter was quieting now, his mouth resuming normal size, though Gohan could just make out the longer line of his newly widened jaw, the line sporting two tiny flaps of flesh overlapping his bottom jaw, a small distance from his actual mouth. The Sannin's tongue whipped out, the tip forked, the rest of the slimy appendage covered in what Gohan thought were warts. Orochimaru also had what looked like large octagonal scales on him, in patches on his forehead, the back of his hands, and, here Gohan could just barely make it out, a patch on the left side of his neck. Orochimaru was a few inches taller, his body no longer lean and wiry to the point of malnutrition, but covered in supple gymnast and fencer muscle, his fingernails on his hands making them talons instead of simple hands.

He wore a variation of the costume Gohan had last seen the Sannin in, except now it was all black and was a little tougher looking, cut from a heavier, more durable fabric, trading sandals for black jackboots, a tanto sticking out of the side of his belt, in easy reach. The vest Orochimaru now wore looked like a bullet-proof vest from the world that Gohan had left behind.

The Sannin had come dressed for combat, there was no doubt about that and Gohan, despite having tangled with and _won_ against Orochimaru in their last encounter, couldn't help but feel a little apprehension. There was no telling what Orochimaru was capable of right now. To look the way he did, he had to have done something beside just limping back to whatever hole he'd crawled into and trained. At least his eyes were the same…but wait…the purple marks around his eyes were sharper, raking out longer and at an angle.

"What happened to him?" Kakashi asked.

"No idea," Yamato replied. "He's been experimenting on himself though, to look like that. His knowledge of the human body is probably only surpassed by Tsunade-sama's."

Orochimaru leered at them, arms crossed, allowing them to take in his appearance change once more before he bent over, sank his talons into the soft earth around the crater, and pulled up sharply.

Sasuke emerged by his hair, gasping, his transformation gone, his body battered and broken. There were cuts and lacerations all over his body from Gohan's Kamehameha, so many in fact, that it almost seemed cruel that Sasuke had lived instead of being granted a quick death.

Gohan broke the pall that had fallen over the Crater of the End. "How the hell are you still alive, you bastard!" He bellowed, voice echoing off the sloping cliff walls.

Orochimaru chuckled again. "Gohan-kun, Gohan-kun," he drawled lazily. "After all this time, you never call, you never write, and now you demand answers? I don't think we're on that level. Do you?"

Gohan's eyes narrowed as he realized that Orochimaru's speech pattern had changed subtly. He was drawing out his 's' sounds slightly, not enough to notice normally unless you were actually looking for it.

"But," Orochimaru went on, "I suppose there's no harm in telling you the story. I think it'll give you something to think about as you die." As Orochimaru was speaking, he was unbuttoning his vest and setting it aside and peeling aside his shirt underneath. When the muscled skin underneath was revealed, everyone felt their breath hitch in their throats.

Orochimaru's chest was a massive knot of scar tissue. Gohan had to think for a second where he had gotten it all until he spotted a section that was shaped oddly, a rectangular shape about as long and as wide as Gohan's own hand. "The explosive tags," Gohan murmured, remembering how they had gone off when his supposedly fatal final attack got close.

"Indeed," Orochimaru said, getting a faraway look in his eye…..

* * *

_Orochimaru screamed inwardly as he watched Tsunade, that damnable woman, and Gohan, that damnable teen, circling him like a pair of hunting sharks. They could smell the blood in the water, Orochimaru knew. They could sense, on some primal, subconscious level, that Orochimaru was getting strung out, that he was reaching the limits of his endurance._

_He had to think of a way out of this situation and nothing was presenting itself. Tsunade was far to clever to see through any of Orochimaru's standard tricks and Gohan was so volatile right now that Orochimaru couldn't rely on his previous perceptions about the kid._

_The stunt with the Kawarimi had proved that well enough, when Orochimaru had had a clone beg Gohan for mercy while the real McCoy came around from behind to try and kill the kid by stabbing him in the back. Gohan's reaction had been lightning quick, his anger even quicker and Orochimaru had damn near died because of it._

_Now there was this whole thing about Tsunade and her faux immortality! How could he win against Tsunade when her seal regenerated even a pierced heart with no effort! She didn't even pass out! His mind whirled frantically, trying to figure out how he was going to get through all this._

_Had to fool them, somehow, he though, mind whirling at a breakneck pace. Genjutsu? No, Tsunade would dispel it for the both of them, so that was out. A powerful ninjutsu? Perhaps, but then they would be on him when he turned to run. Taijutsu. No. That was both Tsunade and Gohan's forte. Any attempt to engage them, two-on-one, and try to escape was a suicide mission. Wait. Suicide? Maybe that was something. Not the death part of it, of course, but maybe he could come across as insane enough that Tsunade and Gohan would leave him alone, believing him no longer worth fighting._

_Orochimaru smirked inwardly. Yes, he supposed. They might go for it, provided he could sell it to them in a convincing manner. Orochimaru screamed as if he was a dying man, ripping his tunic, whipping out explosive tags and plastering them all to his bare chest. The entire time, he was praying to whatever god would have him that the two warriors across from him would take the bait._

_To Orochimaru's incredulous belief, they did, Tsunade explaining something about immortality, her jutsu, and how he believed that she'd beaten him to it. The Slug Princess turned away, content with her victory, believing that Orochimaru would never threaten them away. It was all Orochimaru could do to not burst out in triumphant laughter instead of the half-insane giggles that dribbled past his lips. To sweeten the deal, Gohan joined her, after throwing a venomous look at the Snake Sannin, making Orochimaru fervently glad that the saying 'if looks could kill' was only a saying._

_Gohan stopped and whirled, fast._

"_KAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAAA!"_

_An _enormous_ blast, larger than any Orochimaru had ever see came after him, roaring like a dragon, looming like the moon itself. So help him, Orochimaru screamed, some primal part of him jibbering in terror, breaking his restraint, and forcing the scream through the normally silver tongue and lips. He moved quick, trying to shed his skin and burrow. His body elongated, he felt the skin split and shed, peeling off him like a tight wardrobe, Orochimaru suddenly feeling liberated._

_He was a fraction of a second fast enough to get into the ground and set up his special substitution jutsu, to meld with the ground and escape the blast of the Kamehameha. That he was fast enough to do._

_He was not, however, fast enough to completely escape unharmed. He didn't take into account the immense power that was bearing down on him, a great freight train of an attack that would've blown out any sensitive items in the area around the attack._

_Items, for example, like the explosive tags on Orochimaru's chest._

_They went off in a tremendous detonation._

_Orochimaru melded with the ground, screaming a mute yell of pain as blood poured from his ravaged chest, the flesh and muscle blown clean away. Had he been above ground, bone would've been showing. He lingered in that limbo of burning fire for who knew how long, unable to bleed out and die because he was melded with the earth itself. Finally he could bear it no more and wrenched himself out of the rock and earth._

_The second the air hit his chest, he screamed. The mighty Sannin couldn't help himself. Of course, he had managed to focus some part of his mind on a solution to the problem while he'd been repressed in that hellish purgatory and went about enacting it.  
_

_The pain dulled, Orochimaru rolled over, the skin on his chest red, leaking runnels of blood everywhere, and puckered with several square-shaped marks that were sure to turn into scar tissue. He looked around. It was nighttime and Gohan, Tsunade, and the rest were nowhere to be found. Kabuto, too, was gone and Orochimaru knew that his medic would be in the hands of Konoha and the talons of Mitarashi Anko, that failure of a student, and Morino Ibiki, whose thirst for sadistic torture was only matched by Orochimaru's own. Orochimaru swore. He needed Kabuto, needed the medic's skills when it was time for him to switch bodies._

_As Orochimaru's body degraded, so did his chakra control. Kabuto was able to prolong Orochimaru's body as long as possible, keeping his control razor fine, his reserves large, and his muscles trained. Without it, Orochimaru would be as helpless as a newborn babe when it came time to switch bodies in three years._

_The Sannin scowled. He had to get Kabuto back, but Konohagakure was nothing if not a tough nut to crack, so to speak, and the defenses around the medic would be tight. Kabuto would have to wait until a more convenient time. Sasuke, meanwhile, was coming to him, Orochimaru could practically smell it in the air. First things first, though. He had to get his hands on more power. Gohan had surprised him. That kid was only a teenager too, hardly in the prime of his life. When he came of age more fully, say, mid-to-late teens and his early twenties, he would be a true force to be reckoned with and Orochimaru, who had pretty much reached the glass ceiling of human physiology, needed more power to stay ahead, to be able to compete with the Gohan that was coming for there would be a second battle._

_Orochimaru stood and walked away into the night, vanishing into the mists that were starting to form._

_He had work to do._

* * *

"And so here I am," Orochimaru said, finishing with a leer, glaring down his nose at Gohan, his arms crossed over his chest, the scar tissue horrendously obvious in the wan sunlight. The Sannin's lips split apart, showing that much-wider-than-normal grin and the serrated fangs that went with it. "What do you think?"

"So you changed your appearance," Gohan said with a smirk. "That's it?"

Orochimaru outright laughed. "Hardly, Gohan-kun," he chuckled, turning around. There were suture scars all down his spine, across his shoulders, and down the backs of his arms. The scars vanished into his waistband, where Gohan assumed they ran down his legs to the very soles of his feet. "This is something that I had to do myself. You have no idea how much it hurts to cut yourself up with a Kage Bunshin. I couldn't use anesthesia, of course, because then the jutsu would be impossible to control and I cannot entrust this to anyone but myself."

The Sannin turned around and began to dress again. "I've completely altered my anatomy, Gohan-kun. I've given myself abilities and strength that far exceed any I've had before. I guess you could call this my way of training." He flexed a hand. "Are you going to let Sasuke-kun go now? Now that I stand in your way?"

Gohan scowled, sliding into a stance that everyone recognized and had come to associate with gold hair, chirping auras, and devastation on grand scale. "Get back, everyone," he said as the air around him began to ripple, as if with a great heat.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Just do it!"

"Alright," Kakashi said, nodding to Yamato. "Gohan, you handled Orochimaru once before. I'm sure you can do it again." He watched the others pull back. "But don't forget that we're still here. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask. We can't go one-on-one with Orochimaru but all of us together could. Don't forget that."

The only thing that Kakashi got as an answer was a nod. He knew it would have to do. Gohan was going to concentrate entirely on the battle at hand. Gohan knew he couldn't hold back here. Orochimaru had proven that once before.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

The world shook once, violently, then the ground underneath Gohan shattered, rising into the air as his yell carried on. The pool the crater was becoming began to roil and writhe, boiling without heat. Light flickered to life on Gohan's skin, illuminating him as if from within. His hair, blown up by the outpouring of his ki, changed; though with the light it was hard to tell what had happened.

A ring of sand appeared at Gohan's feet, running in circles around the young saiyan. For a second, everything was silent.

The gold light exploded everywhere, blinding everyone there. The water in the crater was pushed against the opposite bank, slapping and slopping madly, as if trying to escape.

The light faded, revealing Ascended Saiyan Gohan. His aura hummed and buzzed, the lighting dancing over him in a chaotic display.

"What is that?" Sakura asked, taking in the crown of spikes, the sweeping bang, the crackling lightning, and humming aura.

"Must be what he used to defeat Orochimaru the first time," Kakashi answered. "I hope this time it's enough."

"Bring it on!" Gohan called. His voice wasn't a yell, but it echoed across the chasm with an eerie finality.

Orochimaru laughed. "Fine, then, Gohan-kun." His hands, crossed over his chest as he waited, lowered to his sides and Orochimaru fell into a stance of his own. One that was familiar. Heart-stoppingly, shockingly, familiar.

Orochimaru squatted in a low stance, his hands cupped at his sides. A ball of blue-white light began to shine in his palms.

"That's…!" Yamato shouted.

"He can't use that attack can he?" Sakura asked. "I thought shinobi couldn't use ki!"

"Wrong," Kakashi replied. "We can. It just takes a really long time to do. Think of it as trying to relearn everything you know after a lifetime of experience, to shatter all of your perceptions and turn them around. You could do it, but it'll take forever to do."

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura called. "Get out of the way!"

Gohan looked just as startled as everyone else, but to her surprise, he smirked confidently. "Alright," Gohan said. "You think you can use a Kamehameha? Let's see what you've got, bastard." He spread his feet and set them, like a goalie getting ready to catch the incoming football. "Give it your best shot."

"With pleasure!" Orochimaru howled. "KamehameHAAAAAAA!"

The blast roared forth, just like Gohan's, but the second it left Orochimaru's hands, Gohan could instantly see and feel the difference. He could hear Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, and Naruto all screaming at him to get out of the way. He could hear their pleas, see the confident look on Orochimaru's face. He tuned it all out, focusing only on the Kamehameha.

Gohan swung a hand, almost contemptuously, even going so far as to abandon his stance. The blast deflected off his fist. It howled and sang like a ricocheting bullet and a firework. It hit somewhere in the plain where Kakashi had killed Kimimaro. Sakura expected a massive dome of light, a crushing shockwave, and a howling, deadly, wind.

The ground under her feet barely shook.

"Hm," Orochimaru said, standing up. "That was certainly lackluster. It appears I have much to do to get to your level where ki is concerned, Gohan-kun."

"Didn't even tickle," Gohan agreed. "I think my father could've done better when he was a kid." He sank into a mirror image of the stance Orochimaru had just left. "Let me show you how it's done." The star that flared to life in Gohan's hands quickly flared up to such a brightness that it was almost painful to look at. "KAMEHAMEHA!"

The blast howled like a dragon, taking rock, soil, water, scattered shinobi tools, boulders, and everything else that wasn't bolted down for the ride. Orochimaru was lost behind the blast's intensity. It didn't explode when it hit the opposite crater. Didn't deflect even. The Kamehameha simply continued on until the earth dropped away beneath it and it howled away into space.

"Did you get him?" Sakura called.

Gohan's jade eyes shifted to the left in answer. That blast would have destroyed the world had Gohan been facing the other way. It was the attack that had destroyed Cell and Bojack both. It had taken a tremendous U-shaped cut off the crater's lip. As he had been before, Orochimaru would probably have expired right there, lost in the wash of Gohan's ki. But now he stood well outside the width of the strike, Sasuke still in a lump at his feet.

"You're faster," Gohan said, a casual observation, but inwardly, he was nervous. Orochimaru had just dodged Gohan's best attack as if it were nothing and had used ki to boot, something that Gohan thought was impossible up to this point for shinobi to do. "How did you learn to use ki?"

"I didn't," Orochimaru answered. "You see, when a shinobi student uses chakra for the first time, they have long conditioned their body to use ki and stamina both. By the time they do their first Kawarimi, the foundations have been laid, poured, and set. The same can be said for you as well. But there are some similarities, most notably in your pathways."

"Pathways?"

"Yes. Ki needs a way to move through the body just as chakra does. They both use what is, in essence, the same pathway, but the shinobi's chakra coils are fundamentally different from a ki-user and vice versa. Still, if it is in the human body, it can be transplanted."

"You ripped out someone's chakra coils," Gohan said, ire clouding his words, but not his eyes. They grew sharper, more dangerous, promising eons of pain to Orochimaru if Gohan got his hands on him. "That's what you're saying?"

"A tad macabre way of putting it for my tastes," Orochimaru replied, "but correct on a basic level."

Kakashi's voice broke in next and he sounded angry as well, his words backed by that cold fury that radiated from Gohan. "How old was the kid, Orochimaru?"

"What?" Sakura and Naruto breathed together, looking green at the gills.

"We start shinobi training at an early age," Kakashi elaborated, well aware of the growing pressure coming from Gohan with every word. That kid was going to snap and Kakashi hoped that he could use it to win. The scarecrow was reluctant to admit it, but he was kind of counting on Gohan blowing his top. "If you got coils that haven't been altered, the victim would have to be a kid, not more than six or seven."

"Your point, Kakashi?" Orochimaru asked, unconcerned. The last word hadn't even left the snake's lips when Gohan's fist hammered across his jaw, turning Orochimaru's face to the side, purple spittle flying. Gohan vanished and reappeared in a skid before the saliva could hit the ground or him. The earth sizzled and hissed in agitation from the caustic poisons.

Gohan looked up.

"And just where would you be looking?" Orochimaru asked, right about the time Gohan realized that the opposite lip was empty of the Sannin.

Gohan spun around, alarmed, but found that he wasn't fast enough to keep up with Orochimaru anymore. Every time he tried to face the Sannin squarely, Orochimaru was already a grinning shadow in the corner of his vision.

When Gohan finally found the missing-nin again, it was only because Orochimaru let himself be found. That was the point he'd been making by keeping one step ahead of the irate Super Saiyan.

"He's fast!" Yamato said, gaping, despite his best efforts.

"Too fast," Kakashi agreed, Sharingan opened to the world, despite his fatigue. "Gohan's in trouble!"

"Gohan-kun!" Sakura shouted.

"Dammit!" Gohan snarled, fazing out, coming at Orochimaru faster than a speeding bullet. He thrust out, trying to take Orochimaru's head from his shoulders. Orochimaru leaned out of the way, the attack sailing by harmlessly.

He snapped a fist up and dropped Gohan to his knees with only a minimal amount of effort.

"HAHAHAHA!" Orochimaru crowed, as Gohan lay at his feet, groaning and helpless, trying to recover his wits before the follow-up came on. "This is wonderful! This is power beyond my wildest dreams! I've never imagined a human could feel like this! DIE!" He looked down and found himself staring into Gohan's palm and a bright ball of ki that went with it.

"MASENKO!"

The one-handed attack blew Orochimaru right off his feet. The recoil of the strike blew Gohan backward, away from the sadist. He aligned himself and let loose another barrage of ki blasts, screaming the entire time. The explosions twisted Orochimaru every which way. Any other person would've been killed. Hell, that Masenko alone would've blown off their torso, Gohan knew, but he also knew that Orochimaru had just become a more evil version of Cell and he wouldn't go down that easily.

'And I'm getting tired,' Gohan thought grimly. 'But…' He threw a glance back at his friends and they could see the wild, bestial, anger and fear in his eyes, but not fear for himself. Fear for them. Sakura's face stood out among the others, her hands clasped to her chest, watching a battle that she had no place in, could do nothing to change. Gohan suddenly thought of what Orochimaru would do to him, them…Sakura, if he failed here.

"I'M NOT BACKING DOWN!" Gohan howled, slamming his body to a stop and rushing forward again, a Kamehameha glowing in each hand. "KAMEHAMEHA…..GEMINO!"

The blasts thundered out, shaking the ground. The first hit with enough force to knock everyone off their feet. The second turned the straining dome it left behind into a billowing mushroom cloud of dust, water, and rock. Gohan slumped to the ground, winded. He'd put his all into that attack, everything he could get away with and not kill everyone on the planet. The teen's golden hair lost its vertical spiked look and dropped back down into Gohan's normal moptop. His eyes flickered between jade and onyx for a second before he forced himself to stay a Super Saiyan, cementing the hard green color again.

A flash of ki was all the warning Gohan got before a bright gold ki blast roared out of the smoke and haze. The warrior snarled and batted the attack away, not even feeling the deadly sting of the energy.

"A distraction, Gohan-kun," Orochimaru said from behind the young warrior. Gohan spun around, slashing with one hand. The ground split as if cut by a sword, but Orochimaru didn't get cut with it, leaping over the attack, coming down and slamming a fist into Gohan's gut. The teen gagged, his gorge rising, spilling bile mixed with blood over the ground.

A swift kick pounded into his skull hard enough for Gohan to see white. He was barely aware of sailing through the sky. His bones whimpered to him when the ground parted from his impact. Another fist, from where, Gohan couldn't tell, drove him in deeper.

"Stop it!" Sakura screamed as she watched Orochimaru pummel Gohan into the ground, driving the boy deeper with each blow until they actually began to vanish from view. She leaped forward, hand be damned, weariness be damned, the world be damned! Gohan needed her and no one was stopping her from helping! She thought she heard Kakashi-sensei shout for her to stop but ignored the warning, if there was a warning at all.

Orochimaru, so absorbed in tormenting Gohan, didn't even hear her approaching until she was on her, attacking like an angered mother bear. Her fist seared when she hit the Sannin, it was hitting granite, but it rattled him enough to make the Sannin break off the attack. Sakura stood over Gohan protectively, trying her best to imitate her friend, mentor and…crush's death-defying gaze. "Stay away from him!" She snarled. "I'm not letting you torment him anymore!" She snuck a glance behind her. Gohan was bruised, his left arm broken in at least one place, bone poking through the skin. The way he winced with each breath meant he had a few cracked ribs. His hair was blackened again and he looked vulnerable without the ocean-deep power of a Super Saiyan around him.

"What can you do, Kunoichi-chan?" Orochimaru asked, smiling at her. On anyone else it would've been an indulgent smile. On Orochimaru it looked like an arrogant smirk. He tapped his pointed chin with a talon. "I'm sure my ki abilities would be able to kill you, but they'd be wasted on someone like you." He folded a series of hand seals. "So I guess I'll kill you the old fashioned way."

Wood erupted out of the ground, tying up Orochimaru's hands and body before he could finish. Before the Sannin could break the wood's grip, a knife appeared at his throat. "Don't bet on it," Kakashi snarled.

"Hey, Snake Bastard!" Naruto shouted as he leaped high over the jounin and Sannin. He was accompanied by a Kage Bunshin, which was busy creating a handheld tempest in the original's palm. "Don't touch Sakura-chan! Rasengan!"

Kakashi leaped away as Naruto hammered the attack home. The wood shattered as Naruto landed, the full fury of the Rasengan going everywhere. The savage winds tore at Sakura's hair, sent her dress flapping, and forced her to shield her eyes, lest she get rocks where they weren't supposed to go.

Naruto sprang away as Kakashi charged in, a buzzing howl filling the air, lightning cackling in his palm. "Raikiri!"

His attack passed through nothing but air. Kakashi whipped around, Sharingan searching everywhere, looking for some sign of Orochimaru. How had he gotten through Yamato's trap? Kakashi wondered before dismissing the thought. It didn't matter how right now. All that mattered was that he had and they had to find him. A thought occurred to him and he spun to Yamato, just in time to see Orochimaru come out of the earth behind him.

"Yamato!"

Yamato dropped without hesitation, Orochimaru's scything hand passing right through the space where his head had been. The ANBU kicked like a mule. Orochimaru twisted out of the way, his body contorting to impossible positions as he did. Yamato followed through and used his momentum to regain his feet a few steps behind the Sannin.

While making seals for the follow-up attack, Yamato blinked and when his eyes opened again, Orochimaru was again standing on the rim of the crater. Yamato stopped the seals warily. Everyone looked up at the Sannin, wondering why he'd broken off the siege. Kakashi's eyes narrowed when he saw a glistening of sweat on the snake's brow.

"Still haven't gotten used to your augmentations huh?" Kakashi asked. "You can't fight for very long yet, can you?"

"What does it matter, Kakashi?" Orochimaru asked in return. "The point remains that I still have enough power left to crush you four insects and Gohan-kun in addition, helpless as he is. You can't win and you know it."

"Screw you!" Naruto shouted. "Get down here, you bastard! I've gotta pay you back for the cheap shot at the castle!"

"In due time, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru leered, "in due time, but I'm feeling generous after such a successful field test of my new powers. I'm willing to walk away, let you have your lives, and leave you in peace. In return, all I ask is that you not pursue Sasuke-kun any further than this." As he spoke, he kicked Sasuke hard, waking the genin up with a cry of pain. "Well Kakashi? I believe it is your call. Death now, or retreat to fight another day."

Kakashi only took a second to think about it. "Take him and get out of my sight," Kakashi growled, hating every second he spoke.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura breathed as Naruto gaped like fish. "Our mission…"

"Is a failure," Kakashi said, pulling his hirai-ate down over the Sharingan. "We're returning to the village."

"Screw that!" Naruto all but screamed. "I'm not done yet!" He took a step and nearly fell flat on his face as all the strength left him. "What?"

"Look at yourself, all of you," Kakashi said. "We're exhausted, battered, bruised, and we've reached our limit." The jounin glared at his subordinate. "When I brought you on this mission, I said that I would take you only as long as you followed my orders. This is an order. Back off. Now."

Naruto glared for so long that Sakura thought that he would defy the order, but then the steam left him and he slumped.

"Excellent," Orochimaru said calmly. "Come, Sasuke-kun. Welcome to Otogakure." He didn't wait for a response or even look at Sasuke. Orochimaru spun on his heel and walked away.

Sasuke stood up, nearly collapsing as he did. He looked down at his comrades for a second. "Sorry," Sasuke said wearily, "but this is the way it has to be. I'm not backing away now."

"You can still come with us, Sasuke!" Naruto called.

"Don't follow me," Sasuke interrupted stepping over the last part of Naruto's plea. It was like he'd never even heard the blond.

Sasuke limped after Orochimaru.

* * *

Wow, that chapter went quick. Hope you all enjoyed the new Orochimaru. When I was describing him, I was imagining a mix version of Orochimaru I saw on DevianART by Tite Kubo, the author of Bleach, a few other fan arts, Murasame from that Bleach filler arc, the current Kabuto, Voldemort from Harry Potter, and a few of my own little touches. Think of this new Orochimaru as the twisted, yaoi-spawned, bastard son of all the above. Hope it came across well. And now we've finished the last major fight of Gohan's Dilemma. It's all resolution chapters and character development from here, along with an epilogue to tie it all together and set the stage for Gohan's Return. Two, three chapters max and that's it. See you all next chapter!

**Glossary**

**Kamehameha Gemino (Kamehameha Twin):** Gemino is Latin for twin (as if that wasn't already obvious). It's an original technique I came up with on the fly for Gohan. Gohan fires two full-power Kamehamehas from each hand. The first one starts to explode, making the dome, when the second hits and sets off the whole damn package.


	44. Peace at Last?

Disclaimer: Own nothing

* * *

"Hey! Woman get back here! I'm warning you, if you leave me in a tribe full of savages who want to eat me again, I'm getting a divorce!"

"Oh shut up, Vegeta!" Bulma shouted back at her husband. "You would've been fine anyway and don't try to tell me different. Besides, I need you for this one! The last Dragonball is somewhere deep in the mountains! It's probably under a boulder or something and I'm not a muscle-bound oaf like you and Goku so I can't just throw it out of the way!"

Vegeta spluttered and spat for a second before finally whispering, "Muscle-bound?" He scowled more deeply and followed after his wife, who was suddenly obsessed with finding the Dragonballs and had even had the nerve to drag him away from his training to help out. "Why should I help Kakkarot's brat?" Vegeta asked, but he kept it to himself. Bulma may not have Chichi's inhuman frying pan, oh no. What Bulma had was much worse.

Bulma had a pot.

* * *

Gohan's eyes snapped open and he sat up, hands coming up to ward off an attack. He snarled in sudden pain and laid back down, hand moving to his chest, where he found the gauze wrapping his ribs, keeping them where they were supposed to be. "Ow," he muttered. That itself was enough tell the teenager he wasn't dead, no matter how much it felt like he needed to be. "So where am I?"

The room's ceiling was crisscrossed by a bunch of silver tracks. To his left was a white curtain that was hung from the aforementioned tracks. A small stand for personal effects sat right in front of the curtain. The rest of the space around him was taken up by medical equipment. Gohan could see the foot of another, occupied, bed on the other side of that curtain.

The most telling clue to where he was, however, was that…damn…LIGHT!

"Seriously," Gohan grumbled, pushing the button to raise his bed to the sitting position, "who puts a light right were the person in the bed will end up looking right at it?" But he knew where he was. He was in the Konoha Hospital.

Again.

"I'm starting to see why Dad hates doctors," Gohan went on, fuming to himself. There was mirror on the far wall, over a sink. Gohan looked like hell, he had to admit. There were dark circles under his eyes and the saiyan boy's skin looked a little too sallow to be healthy. An IV drip ran into his arm, the one that hadn't been broken. Gohan frowned. At least he thought it had been broken, yet when he moved his arm, there was only some pain, not the debilitating kind. The only clue to any injury was a faded scar that Gohan couldn't even see unless the light in the room caught his skin at just the right angle.

A thick wrap of white gauze wound around his forehead, probably holding some fracture or other together, finishing off a rather depressing series of injuries that were only some in a long line of injuries. "So how did I get here?" Gohan wondered aloud.

He never expected an answer.

"Kakashi and Yamato dragged your sorry ass back from the Valley of the End and into my infirmary," Tsunade said from the doorway, coming in with that brisk, stern walk that all doctors seemed to have. Apparently being the Godaime wasn't keeping the Slug Princess out of the hospital. Gohan wasn't sure if he was happy that she was taking care of him or terrified. Tsunade's bedside manner, after all, left a lot to be desired.

"How long have I been here?"

"A week, give or take," Tsunade replied brusquely as she came over, shined a light in his eyes, took his temperature, felt and moved his arm, making the Saiyan yelp as a sudden spear of pain ran up his arm. "Still sensitive, hm?"

"A little," Gohan admitted.

"A little nothing," Tsunade shot back. "You're lucky you're as tough as you are, brat. If you had been anyone else, we wouldn't be having this conversation and Naruto and Sakura would be crying over your casket." She shot him a sideways look as she removed the IV with practiced hands. "What happened? Kakashi said in the debrief that Orochimaru was back but he said that I had to ask you to get a feel for his new abilities."

Gohan was silent for a long time, during which, Tsunade moved around like a hyper child, doing all sorts of medical things that Gohan didn't understand. Finally Gohan spoke.

"Orochimaru used a Kamehameha."

Tsunade's half-second pause was the only sign that she was startled beyond all belief. "Go on," she said after a second more.

"Sasuke and I were fighting," Gohan said, speaking not to Tsunade but to the blankets of his bed, his eyes faraway as the battle replayed itself over and over in his head, from the first blows with Sasuke to the final blow from Orochimaru that sent him into a black limbo. "I was winning, then Sasuke was winning, then me again. I don't know how long it went on for."

"Must have been a hell of a battle," Tsunade said, showing Gohan a photo. It was the crater that was all that was left of the Valley of the End, "to level the Valley like this." Gohan laughed, then lurched, clutching at his ribs, wincing. "Easy. I did my best but you're still tender. You won't be leveling mountains and statues for a while."

"Orochimaru showed up right when I finished Sasuke off."

"Kakashi said Sasuke survived."

Gohan nodded. "I thought I'd killed him at the time. I didn't mean to get carried away like that, but…" He shook his head, not knowing how to explain the intense determination he'd felt, the drive to see Naruto and Sakura smiling and laughing with Sasuke again, even if Sasuke wouldn't smile and laugh with him. It was enough to see his friends happy. "Anyway, Orochimaru must have pulled Sasuke out at the last second. It would've been fast. He's way stronger than he was before. I thought I'd seen it all when it came to that kind of thing, but I was wrong."

"You can't defeat him like you did at Tanzaku. Not now."

Gohan's hand fisted in the linens of the bed. "I tried," he growled, his defeat tasting sour in his mouth. "So help me, I tried. He's inhuman now, Tsunade. You have no idea. He's faster, stronger, tougher, and he's using ki now."

"It's all augments and no work. It's how Orochimaru has always done things and now is no exception," Tsunade said. "There's nothing you can do for now. Yamato and you have both mentioned Orochimaru using a Kamehameha. Care to explain that one?"

"I can't tell you more than you don't already know, if you've talked with Kakashi and Yamato," Gohan replied. "He said something about transplanting unaltered chakra coils into his body from a seven or eight year old kid." Again Gohan's face clouded, his fist tightening until his arm seared and he had to let up. "That's probably the reason his attacks are weak."

"Weak? He kicked your…"

"Ki attacks," Gohan amended. "His Kamehameha and that ki blast of his were pathetic! I don't think it would've hurt like I am now. Like I told him, my Dad's Kamehameha was more powerful than that when he was just a kid!"

"Well that's a blessing at least," Tsunade sighed.

"It'll change," Gohan said. "He'll get stronger with it. Ki isn't something that you can cheat at. You have to work hard for everything you get. When Orochimaru figures that out, his power will take a jump. I can't pretend to know how much or how soon, but he'll get stronger."

"Noted," Tsunade said dryly. She checked a chart that hung from Gohan's bed, looking over a few figures. "I'd say you're fine, but I want to keep you for observation for another night, just to be sure. And," she added with a sigh, "I think _she_ would kill me if I let you leave without letting her know."

"Her?" Gohan asked.

Tsunade pulled back the curtain and tied it to the cloth thong that held it to the wall. Sakura was asleep in the bed next to Gohan's. He smiled as he watched her, a torrent of emotions swirling inside him. Pride, surprise, happiness, joy, all those bright emotions that come from seeing someone you care for immensely chased themselves around inside Gohan's gut.

"She hasn't left your side this entire time," Tsunade fumed, but Gohan could tell it was an act. At least, he hoped her anger was an act. It was tough to tell with Tsunade. "Asks me or Shizune how you're doing every damn time we come in the room. I don't think she's slept or ate since you were admitted. She passed out in the hallway on the way back from the bathroom."

"She did?" Gohan asked, surprised that Sakura was that worried about him. But at the same time, he knew he might end up doing the same in her shoes.

Tsunade walked out the door. "You're a lucky kid," she said over her shoulder. "Be good to her."

Then she was gone, leaving Gohan with his swirling emotions that he couldn't escape in a battle anymore and his thoughts of the future. He tried to sort through them, but it was a hurricane that no amount of ki and transformations was ever going to make go away. He had no idea where to start.

Finally, he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and he dropped off to sleep again.

* * *

"How is he?" Jiraiya asked Tsunade as the Hokage came out the doors into the atrium of Konoha General Hospital. He fell into step beside his teammate and oldest friend as she strode briskly out the door and down the street, setting course for the Hokage's Tower.

"He's awake, finally."

"Already? You thought that he'd be in a coma for months at the least!"

"Kid's tough," Tsunade said with a shrug. "I don't know what you want me to tell you about it aside from the fact that he's already stronger than the last time I saw him."

"You're serious?"

Tsunade nodded. "It's weird. Gohan has somewhat of a medical history in the village, what with the invasion and all, but his stats have all gotten better since he was here last. It's like every time he gets the snot beat out of him, he comes back for more and tougher to boot."

"From what he says, he's not entirely human," Jiraiya reminded.

"And I'm a believer now," Tsunade agreed. "But enough about the kid. It doesn't change anything. Have you thought about what Kakashi and Yamato said at the debrief?"

Now it was Jiraiya's turn to shrug. "Yeah," he replied. The sage had been present at the meeting to discuss the disastrous mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke from Orochimaru. It had only been right, considering Naruto had used four tails worth of Kyuubi's chakra, had almost gone on a rampage if not for Yamato's intervention, and _had no memory of doing it!_

"Any theories?"

"A few."

"Like?"

"The first one is that the seal is just aging. It happens with seals," Jiraiya said. "They don't last forever and maybe Minato intended for it to just fade away."

"That would release Kyuubi back into the world. And he gave you the key for it."

"Watch where you say that," Jiraiya cautioned. "Only three people know I have that and two of them are right here."

"What's your second thought?"

"That Minato intended for this to happen. That kid could read so far into stuff it was almost like he could see the freaking future. More than a few learned that from the sharp end of his kunai. The seal could be preparing Naruto for a full integration of host and beast, giving Naruto full control over the fox and also granting him power that would probably put him on par with Gohan, if not beyond."

Tsunade chewed over the theory for a second. "And?"

"The last theory is that the fox has found a way past the seal and is gradually forcing itself free by swamping Naruto beneath its charka until it can break the seal through force. It's the worst-case scenario because that would destroy Naruto's mind and probably body, in that order, unless someone steps in and teaches him how to control the damn thing."

They'd reached the Tower and went inside, up the stairs, and into the Hokage's office, where a grim-faced Kakashi and Yamato were waiting. Tsunade sat down behind the desk and surveyed Jiraiya over steepled fingers. "You said someone should teach Naruto how to control the fox?" she said with a smirk. "Are you volunteering?"

"I don't know," Jiraiya answered with a smirk of his own. "Am I?"

"How are you going to do it? Naruto's already reviled enough in the village," Yamato pointed out, still in his jounin cover. "If you start showing him how to control the fox here, people will accuse you trying to bring out the demon again."

Jiraiya nodded. "I know. That's why I want to get Naruto out of the village, train him out on the road, away from people he could hurt."

"How long are we talking?" Kakashi asked.

Jiraiya shrugged. "Two years at the minimum, three would be preferable."

"Naruto may not go for that," Yamato broke in. "He's going to want to try and get Sasuke back. That kid was the first friend Naruto had after all."

"I'm aware of that and I think he'll come anyway. He knows that Sasuke is going to be training under Orochimaru and he won't want to fall behind more than he already has. He hates coming in second more than anything." Jiraiya looked at Tsunade. "But it's the Hokage's decision if she wants to let a shinobi take an extended leave of absence and a Jinchuuriki at that."

"Are you considering letting the Jinchuuriki leave the village?"

The door burst open and the speaker limped into the room, cane tapping with every step. He was old, grizzled, scarred, with short hair, a perpetual frown and one side of his face wrapped in bandages. He also appeared to be missing his right arm.

"Danzo," Tsunade said without enthusiasm. "I don't recall inviting you here. My meeting with you isn't for another two hours."

"When the Hokage is considering letting one of our village's greatest weapons go, it becomes my business," the commander of ROOT snapped in return. "You can't possibly be considering this!"

"The only thing I'm considering," Tsunade snapped, "is how far up your ass I can get a Sennen Goroshi, assuming I don't break my fingers on the stick you've got up there first."

Danzo snarled something under his breath and his grip on his cane tightened. The man didn't do anything rash though. Danzo was nothing if not calculating and he wouldn't make a move to openly assassinate Tsunade now, not with Jiraiya the Gama Sennin, Sharingan Kakashi, Yamato the cloned Shodai, and the Battlefield Angel herself present. And assassination was crude. Anyone could assassinate another person. No, Danzo was much more subtle than that.

"You work for me, Danzo," Tsunade growled. "I don't care if you're ROOT or not, you…work…for…me! Get out of my office. How I decide Naruto's training will be my decision and mine alone."

Danzo wanted to say more, how the fool of a Godaime would be leaving the village dangerously vulnerable for three years, three years! And all so the Kyuubi host could track down some friend of his, that renegade Uchiha, who, in Danzo's professional opinion, was not high up enough on Tsunade's to-do list. She would rather work in the hospital with her head buried in the sand like an ostrich than face the hard reality of commanding a village.

"Are you deaf, Danzo?" Tsunade asked. "Get out." She made a gesture and the two ANBU guards outside, both graduates of the ROOT program themselves, took him by the elbow.

"This way, sir," the one on the left murmured to him.

Danzo allowed himself to be steered to the exit and the door slammed behind him.

"Asshole," Tsunade fumed the second the door clicked shut. "I'm going to have this place swept for bugs. Again. Bastard keeps sneaking them in somehow. It's the only way he could've known what we were talking about, seeing as the room is soundproof."

"Don't underestimate Danzo," Jiraiya cautioned. "And you can't alienate him either. As annoying as he is, we need him."

"I know," Tsunade sighed, rubbing her eyes. "He just gets under my skin in the worst way."

"The Old Man used to say the same thing," Jiraiya laughed. "Now, about Naruto's training?"

"Take whatever time you need, Jiraiya," Tsunade said. "As much as I hate to say it, Danzo has a point. We need the Kyuubi as a deterrent and if Naruto can't control it, it's going to make us look weaker. It might be enough to upset the balance."

"Especially when all the reports are saying that Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails' host has full control at all levels," Yamato added.

"I know about Bee," Jiraiya said with a snort, "I'm the one who sent in that report, remember? Alright. When Naruto's ready to go, we'll leave."

"Good luck with convincing him," Kakashi said as Jiraiya left. It was said as a joke, but Jiraiya knew that Naruto wouldn't leave Konoha so easily.

* * *

Gohan woke up the next morning stiff, but in considerably less discomfort. Someone had removed the bandages around his chest and it didn't hurt so terribly to take a breath now. He was still covered in terrible black bruises and a fast prod made him jump. "Still tender," he muttered sarcastically. "Right."

He stopped and looked down. Sakura's pink head of hair was on the side of his bed and she was fast asleep. She was drooling slightly, Gohan noted with a grin, feeling a sudden, powerful, surge of affection for the kunoichi.

He poked her in the forehead just for fun. "Hey," Gohan whispered. "Sakura wake up." She stirred but didn't do any more than that. He poked her again. "Sakura." This time she did wake up, green eyes clouded and unfocused.

"Whozzair?" She slurred. She looked up at Gohan, looked him dead in the eye, blinked once, then again. "GOHAN-KUN!" She threw her arms around him

"Ouch! Hey! Watch the ribs!"

Sakura ignored him. "You're alright! You're alright!" She repeated it over and over until she finally broke down and started sobbing, releasing days worth of tension and worry in one cleansing flood. She clung to Gohan like he was her last link to life and he let her, but remained unsure of what to do next. Finally he settled for a cautious pat on the head.

"Uh yeah," he said finally, when Sakura finally began to calm down. "I'm fine." He sucked in a ragged breath. "But I'd be even more fine if you let up on my ribs for a second!"

Sakura leaped back like she'd been burned, flushing redder than her hair. "Sorry," she said quickly.

Gohan couldn't help himself. He started laughing, each snort making him wince, but he got out a few hearty chuckles until his aching bones made him stop with a groan. "It's alright. Better than yesterday at any rate."

"Huh? Yesterday?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. Tsunade was in here and I happened to be up."

"And she didn't tell me?" Sakura practically howled. "That Old Hag! She promised she would tell me the second you woke up!"

"You'd better not let Tsunade-sama hear you talking like that, Sakura-san," Shizune told the other kunoichi as Shizune came in.

"Sh-Shizune-san!" Sakura spluttered. "I didn't…I mean it's not…" She flushed again. "Dammit."

"It's okay," Shizune whispered conspiratorially. "She won't hear it from me."

"Thank you," Sakura said, genuinely grateful. Tsunade's ire at being called old was almost as legendary as the woman herself and Sakura had no intention of putting Gohan's teaching to the test against another Sannin so soon. Especially with what Sakura had planned for her future.

The check-up was quick and soon enough, Gohan was walking out the doors, Sakura at his side. He was wearing the pants, boots, and undershirt from his gi, the tunic ripped to shreds in the battle. Someone had fixed the burn hole in the leg; Gohan didn't know who and Sakura had denied it, saying she was no seamstress.

Gohan stretched and sighed, managing to keep the pounding in his ribs to a minimum. "Free at last!" he said. "Am I glad to be out of there!"

Sakura giggled. "Gohan-kun, you were unconscious for most of it," she pointed out.

"And the difference is?" Gohan shot back with the Son Grin. "I think I've spent more time in a hospital in this world than I ever did in mine." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a burlap sack, tied with a drawstring. He opened it and poured fossilized remains of something into his palm. "Only wish I had some Senzu with me."

They walked on in a companionable silence for a while, aimlessly wandering the village. The scars from the invasion of Konoha were all but gone. Only a pile of carpentry trash here or a burn scar there was the only evidence the skilled carpenters of Konoha had left behind.

Several times, Sakura tried to tell Gohan how much she cared about him, how she wanted to be more than friends, but each time, uncertainty kept her from even opening her mouth. 'What's wrong with me?' she wondered. 'It's not like he's a total stranger. Go for it!'

"Gohan-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"You want to get something to eat?"

"Sure! Hospital food sucks and IV fluids don't do anything for you! Let's go!" Gohan seized her hand and half-led half-dragged her down one of Konoha's main thoroughfares.

'I am an idiot,' Sakura sighed. 'I'll fight a Sannin without hesitation, fought some of the strongest shinobi I've ever met, spent an entire month with Gohan-kun and I _still_ can't admit to him how I feel?'

"Some kunoichi I am," she muttered.

"Huh?"

"Oh, don't worry, Gohan-kun. It's nothing."

Gohan gave her a look that said he didn't believe her. When they were done, Sakura and Gohan, having paid for their own meals, thank God, left the restaurant, each with their own problems on their minds. They said good-bye to each other, having enjoyed the afternoon in each other's company, and went their separate ways.

Gohan's course was unerringly to the training field once he was sure he wasn't going to bump into Tsunade or Shizune. He had some things on his mind, things like home, Orochimaru's new powers, the stinging defeat he'd been dealt, the swirling emotions that seemed to come over him when Sakura was around him, home again, and a lot more Sakura. He couldn't get her out of his head and he wanted to work out for the simple sake of working out, to allow his body to _do_ something while his mind wandered over the issues.

* * *

For Sakura, there was one thing…one person on her mind and she'd just left him and had no idea how to tell him how she felt. There was the festival coming up, to celebrate the end of the Third Shinobi War. It was supposed to be a somber remembrance of those who'd had their names etched into the Hero's Stone, but over time it had become a celebration of their lives and the future they'd died for rather than a yearly reminder that those they were celebrating weren't there partying with them.

Some couples even started going out on that night, following the belief that those who'd passed on would watch over their new relationship and guide them through the rough spots.

Sakura didn't believe that kind of thing, never had, but she couldn't deny that it would be the perfect setting to tell Gohan. The only question was _how?_ Every stinking time she opened her mouth, she said something completely irrelevant or couldn't get the words out at all.

"I'm hopeless," she sighed.

"Took you long enough to figure it out, Forehead," a voice said. Sakura spun around, eyes flashing. She knew that voice.

"Ino-pig," Sakura shot back at her friend and rival. "What do you want?"

Ino shrugged and fell into step beside the other girl. "You've got that kicked puppy look again. Thought I'd see what's wrong. Boy trouble? Naruto being an idiot again? That kind of thing?"

Sakura was about to blow Ino off, but stopped. Ino had always been a friend to Sakura, at least until they'd both realized they'd liked Sasuke. It had put their friendship on the rocks for years but now, looking back, Sakura realized it was just all so…trivial. She was silent for a minute or two more then spoke. "Well….I guess you could say it's boy trouble."

Sakura plunged off that cliff and soon was glad that she had as she and Ino began to banter back and forth like it was old times.

* * *

Gohan's muscles burned from his movements. He'd been at it for hours, throwing punches, kicks, doing everything short of setting off explosions to push his body to its limits. He had to find those limits again too, dammit, now that he'd gotten that power boost from a near-death experience. Sweat burst from his body with every movement.

He slumped to the ground, clutching his side, ribs on fire, formerly broken arm throbbing, head pounding all along with them at each beat of his heart. And his heart was pounding right now. He stood again, breathing ragged.

He was no closer to any of it, he decided. Gohan was no closer to figuring out his feelings for Sakura, wasn't any closer to having the power to defeat Orochimaru, wasn't any closer to home.

Home.

Not his home, the apartment he shared with Naruto, but _Home_. His world. With his father and mother and brother, friends, enemies, familiar lands and the cities that made Konoha look like some backwater hamlet. He looked up. The sun was low on the horizon, splashing the clouds with bright pinks and golds, the skies to the east already darkening to purple and navy blue. He'd been here for hours, working until his body threatened to quit unless the brain adopted new union rules.

"How do I even get home from here?" Gohan wondered. "It's not like I can whip up another dimension machine like Bulma's. I don't even know how hers worked! That was what she was supposed to tell me when this whole mess started."

"And what about it?" Gohan asked himself, playing his own devil's advocate. "It's not like this is a bad place. You've made a life here. You've made friends, enemies, you have a roommate, teachers you can look up to, rivals to fight against, all the things you're used to."

"But it's not home."

"So? Make a new home! People move out all the time and live in other countries, cities, and streets. How is this any different?"

Gohan scoffed at what his devil's advocate was saying. "Most people don't move across dimensions!"

"And you aren't most people. If you were, you wouldn't be in this position to begin with, so stop whining about it." He shook his head. "The most you can do now, Gohan, is take it one step, one second, one hour, day, month, and year at a time. You've already been missing for three months or so, assuming time flows at the same rate here."

"That would be even worse," he countered. "What if time flows way differently here? For all I know, three _hundred_ years have passed since I left! Argh! This is getting me nowhere!" he fumed, tousling his already messy hair in frustration. "What do I do, Dad?" he demanded of the sky, asking the one person who might, _might_, be able to hear him.

Son Goku had nothing to say to him.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!"

The explosion rocked the village, making people stop and look at the cloud of smoke rising over the training fields nearest the walls.

* * *

"That damn kid," Tsunade muttered when she saw the smoke pall. "I told him to take it easy. Whatever, if he snaps a muscle, it's his problem now." She went back to doing paperwork.

"I'll go make sure he's okay," Shizune sighed as she walked out the door, leaving Tonton with the fuming Godaime. She came back quickly enough when she saw a blue-white comet rocket over the village and land in the observation area that was on top of the Hokage Monument overlooking the village. "So much for that."

Tsunade shook her head.

* * *

Second to last chapter! That's right, this is the second to last chapter of Dilemma! Hard to believe right? Next chapter is extra long because I wanted to wrap it all up and not keep you guys waiting on Return. Look forward to the last chapter of Gohan's Dilemma and the Epilogue at the end of the month or so. Gohan's Return is already in the works and I've gotten the first two and a half, three chapters or so written and I think that will come about the same time as the chapters usually come out. See you all next time for the finale of Gohan's Dilemma!


	45. Promises of the Future

Disclaimer: Own nothing

Please be kind to the Sakura/Gohan bit in this. It's the first or second time that I've done romance plot. I think I did alright, but who knows.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Ino said, taking another bite of the ice cream she'd treated Sakura to when the two of them were talking about Sakura's boy troubles. "You went and _kissed_ him right before you went to fight the flute girl and you're worried he'll laugh at you?"

"I didn't mean to do it!" Sakura protested.

"Yeah right," Ino laughed.

"I didn't! It just sort of…happened."

Ino shrugged in a way that was noncommittal. "How was it?" She asked with a Cheshire cat grin.

"Huh?" Sakura went a shade of pink for the third time that day.

"Oh come on!" Ino said, not losing that grin. "It was your first kiss! How…was…it?"

Sakura spluttered for a second more. "It was a kiss on the cheek!" She protested, a bit too loudly, drawing a few curious stares. Sakura glanced around. "Sorry!" She called. The stares went away as the patrons went back to their activities. "It was a kiss on the cheek," she repeated in a softer tone. "I don't get why it's such a big deal!"

"Relax, Sakura," Ino laughed. "I'm just teasing."

"Some help you are," Sakura muttered heading for the door. "I knew this was a mistake."

"Sakura, wait!" Ino made a grab, got lucky, and snagged Sakura's wrist. "I'm sorry for the teasing if it'll make you feel better. If you want, I'll help you get your mouth and brain to cooperate with each other."

"Really?" Sakura asked, wary.

"Sure. Scout's honor!"

"Didn't you get kicked out of there for excessive roughness?"

"Hey, that little bitch wouldn't stop making fun of me and I happened to have a training kunai with me. What was I supposed to do?" Ino half-led, half-dragged Sakura out the shop. "Come on. When I'm done with you, Gohan would have to be dense to refuse you!"

"You have met him, right?" Sakura said with a smile as her friend dragged her down the street.

* * *

In another training field, right around the time Gohan was busy working himself to the bone, another genin was doing the same thing. Naruto stood in the center of the Hero's Stone training field, surrounded by hundreds of his own clones. The blonde was scratched, roughed up, sweating, and breathing hard. His orange jacket was lying on the ground in front of the stone, where it had been thrown when Naruto had gotten too hot from the exercise. His dark blue t-shirt with an orange Konoha leaf on it was soaked with sweat and the light mesh armor he wore underneath it was clinging to his skin.

"Give up yet?" one of the clones asked.

"When I'm done, I'll let you know!" Naruto shot right back. He flung a kunai and caught the offending clone in the chest, popping it. It was a signal for the rest and they surged ahead with battle cries and taunts. Naruto was buried underneath a tide of clones for a moment. "RASENGAN!"

The jutsu hit the ground and exploded outward, blowing out the clones like balloons in a sandstorm. The ones that weren't destroyed hopped back, trying to get clear. Naruto stood in the ring of Kage Bunshin, panting, dismissing the single clone he'd made to help him with the jutsu. Naruto charged forward into the crush of clones again, punching and kicking like there was no tomorrow. Clone after clone popped and dissolved, but they had the numbers on him and quickly overwhelmed the blond.

Naruto ended up under a mound of clones, spluttering and trying to dislodge them but without success. Laughter met his ears. "Well well," Jiraiya said, chortling. "Aren't you a fine sight? You know, it takes a special kind of stupid to kick your own ass."

"Ah shut up, Ero-Sennin!" Naruto shouted in reply as Mount Kage Bunshin moved itself off of him. "Like you could do better!"

"I can." Jiraiya said promptly and without a trace of humility.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto asked with a mischievous grin. "Prove it!"

"Ask and ye shall receive," Jiraiya shot back. "Give me your best shot, kiddo!" The Sannin found himself surrounded by the ring of clones. Naruto had cut their number a respectable amount, but their numbers were still somewhere in the low two hundreds. The Sannin popped his knuckles eagerly. "While I've still got hair, kid!"

As one the clone mob, original included, made a single hand seal. "Henge!"

Jiraiya shielded his face when the choking cloud of shinobi smoke rolled over him. "What do you have up your sleeve this time, brat?" Jiraiya called.

"Sleeve?" A feminine voice asked, the kind of smoky, sultry voice that most men only hear in their most embarrassing dreams. "I don't have any sleeves." The smoke cleared and revealed hundreds of the most beautiful women ever. "Or anything else on for that matter." She gave Jiraiya a come-hither. "Come here big guy."

Jiraiya gaped, eyes bugging before a nosebleed blew him right off his feet.

The women laughed before dispersing. Naruto, fully clothed and male again, was rolling on the ground. "HAHAHA! Oh man! My Harem Jutsu never gets old! WAHAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto managed to get back to his feet. "Are you really a Sannin? You fall for that every time!"

Jiraiya walloped him. "Quit screwing around you little bastard!" The sage huffed as Naruto rolled around on the ground, clutching the goose egg rising out of the back of his skull this time. "I guess you don't want my help in training you."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, perking up. "Training?"

"Oh, now you're serious are you?"

"What training?"

"Well," Jiraiya said, scratching his head, "I was thinking that since you got your ass handed to you trying to bring back Sasuke that you would want to get stronger." Naruto's grin was the only answer Jiraiya needed. "That's a yes I assume?"

"Believe it!"

"Alright then. But I'm going to warn you, this isn't going to be some half-assed thing like before. If I train you now, you're going to be my apprentice in full this time." Jiraiya grinned savagely but it was a friendly savage grin. Supposedly. "I'll make you a great shinobi even if it kills you."

"That's not reassuring," Naruto said with a twitch of an eyebrow.

"So what's your answer kid?"

Naruto didn't hesitate, leaping up into the air. "I'm in!" he crowed.

"Good," Jiraiya said with a grin that matched Naruto's. "We leave in a week. Get enough stuff together to last you a while."

"We're leaving?" Naruto asked, suddenly less enthusiastic. "In a week?"

Jiraiya nodded. "I can't teach you the things I want to here in Konoha. It does bad things for the real estate value. I figure we can tear up a few fields or something out of the way."

"Well couldn't we come back to the village every night?"

"Oh come on, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "What's the point in going out of the village if we don't go somewhere? It'll be fun, I promise."

Naruto gave Jiraiya a suspicious squinty-eyed glare. "Brothels aren't fun for me."

Jiraiya shrugged. "It's an acquired taste. So, you still interested?"

"But what about Sasuke?"

Jiraiya frowned. "What about him?"

"He went with Orochimaru and…" Naruto's hand curled into a fist at his side. "I can't just abandon him!"

Jiraiya led Naruto over to the Hero's Stone and sat down on the small step that led up to the sacred monument. Jiraiya was silent a long time before he spoke. "Why are you so dead set on bringing back Sasuke?" the Sannin asked finally, knowing full well the answer.

"He was my first friend," Naruto said immidiatly. "I won't just let him go!"

"He doesn't want your help. His fight against Gohan proved that rather well, I thought."

"I don't care! Sasuke would've come around! He was starting to and I'm not going to give up on him. I said I'd rescue him and I will! I never go back on my word! It's my Nindo! I'll help Sasuke take down Itachi, whether he wants me to or not! And then I'll drag him back to Konoha, whether he wants me to or not!" Naruto glared. "I don't care what you or anyone else says!"

"You do know what Orochimaru is planning to do to Sasuke, don't you?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto nodded. "Something about making Sasuke his new body, right?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Orochimaru wants to learn every jutsu in the world. A Sharingan would speed up that process considerably. Possessing Sasuke will get him what he wants, and he's lured Sasuke to him with the Cursed Seal. Personally, I think Sasuke's not coming back." He held up a hand to stop Naruto's outburst. "But I also know that you're not going to be talked out of this until you've tried." He grinned at his young charge. "The thing you've got working for you is time. Orochimaru can only use his body switch once every three years. So that gives me three years to pound as much badassery into you as I can! So, Uzumaki Naruto, you still in?"

Naruto's answering grin was wolfish. "When do we start?"

* * *

In another dimension, Bulma shrieked in panic as the explosion rocked the cave she stood in. "Red Ribbon!" She shouted. "Why did it have to be the damn Red Ribbon Army? They're supposed to be dead already! Goku made sure of that when we were kids!"

"Kakkarot never does anything to completion!" Vegeta shouted right back, blasting away with a hellish ki barrage. "You should know that by now, woman!"

"Shut up and keep killing them!"

The seventh and final Dragonball was located deep in the mountains alright, and it was Bulma's unfortunate luck that it had landed right in the middle of an old Red Ribbon Army base that was, unfortunately, still occupied by a very remote section of that paramilitary organization. It was a cell so remote, in fact, that they didn't even know that the war was ended and had been rather…angry at Bulma and Vegeta's intrusion.

Of course, their method of entry had left a lot to be desired…

* * *

"_Are you sure this is the place, woman?" Vegeta demanded. He and his wife were standing waist-deep in snow that was driving down sideways. The way it was going, Vegeta was certain that Earth was fast becoming his number one Most Miserable Planet and he'd seen some cesspools and wastelands in his time in Frieza's army. Despite his heavy blue parka, the proud prince was shivering._

"_For the millionth time, I'm sure, Vegeta," Bulma snapped, smacking the Dragon Radar a few times. The extreme cold was messing with the instruments innards and it kept cutting in and out all the time. It wasn't too long before the radar cut out entirely and they would be walking blind._

"_So where is the damn thing then?"_

"_It's around here somewhere," Bulma replied, giving the radar another smack as she spoke, checking the Ball's location. She looked up, saw the lone mountain that stuck up higher than any others, back down to the radar, then back up to the mountain. There was no mistaking it, she decided. That was where the seventh Ball was. She shut the failing radar off, and stuck it under her shirt to warm it, yelping when the frigid metal touched her skin._

_The two of them trudged through the snow to the mountain. The wind picked up and carried off some of the snow, allowing the sun to glint of something dull and metallic. Hope lifted in Bulma's chest. "Hey!" she crowed. "I think we found it!"_

"_It's about damn time," Vegeta said. "Let's grab the thing and get out of here."_

_Bulma agreed with him for once and started brushing away the snow. The object turned out to not be a Dragonball but an enormous metallic door, emblazoned with a red bow-tie like design with the white letters RR stenciled on them. Bulma froze. "Oh no," she whined. "Not the Red Ribbon Army! It had to be them!"_

"_Red Ribbon Army?" Vegeta asked, stepping up to the door._

"_Yeah," Bulma said, digging for the radar again, just to make absolutely sure they didn't have to go in there. "It's a paramilitary organization from way back when. They wanted to use the Dragonballs to make sure that they could rule the world. We managed to stop them all the time. I thought Goku axed the last of them a long time…"_

_KABOOOM!_

_Bulma was blown headfirst into a snowdrift. Her feet kicked and thrashed. "ARGH! Vegeta you dumbass! Make sure you warn me when you go blowing stuff up!"_

_Vegeta lowered his smoking hand and stepped into the doorway. The second his boot crossed the threshold, lights snapped on, illuminating a passageway that led farther back into the mountain. "This place still has power," Vegeta said. "Are you sure that Kakkarot destroyed the Red Ribbon Army?"_

"_Sure," Bulma insisted. "I was there when he did it. This must be an old research facility of some kind, like Dr. Gero's place."_

"_So we could be dealing with another Cell, is that what you're saying?"_

"_God I hope not."_

"_Too bad," Vegeta said with a smirk. "I'd love a little payback."_

_The two of them wandered deeper into the facility, ditching their heavy winter gear when they realized the facility still had heat. That was when they had run into a small group of men. The soldiers had opened fire, sending a hail of bullets downrage that had Bulma diving for cover and Vegeta standing in the hall, smirking. His body sparked as the bullets found him and did absolutely nothing._

_The men blanched when they saw the uselessness of the fusillade. "What is he?" One man shouted to his commander._

"_Your worst nightmare," Vegeta replied with a dangerous smile, holding out a hand. A bright ball of ki began to glow. "Big Bang Attack!" The energy ball blew the squad away. "Feh, not even worth my time."_

_Naturally that had sent alarm bells ringing through the entire facility and more soldiers had swarmed them like ants._

* * *

That had led them to their current predicament. They'd found the Dragonball but by some horrific twist, the facility turned out to be a supersoldier research facility, apparently started by General Red to counter Goku's strength. The men were hardy, resilient, and a few even had a frightening tendency to regenerate, an apparent prototype for what would eventually become Cell. No matter how many Vegeta shot down, more seemed to pop up. They'd taken out the head scientist of the place and had retrieved the Ball. Now it was hard to leave because they had to fight their way back out.

"This is getting old!" Vegeta roared. "I hope you're ready to die!" Right as he made that proclamation, he was buried beneath the weight of fifty men.

"Vegeta!"

Gold light blasted the men right off the proud Saiyan Prince. "Now you've done it!" Vegeta howled, a ball of ki glowing in each hand, which he slammed into one fearsome blast. "All of you die! FINAL FLASH!"

The explosion was visible for miles. When it faded, Vegeta stood panting in front of what had been a mountainside. There was absolutely no sign of the Red Ribbons. "Are they gone?" Bulma asked as Vegeta dropped his Super Saiyan transformation.

He snorted. "Of course," he said with thinning patience. "Now come on. I want to get out of this frozen hellhole." He grabbed Bulma around her waist and hauled her up onto his shoulder and into the sky like a sack of potatoes. She screamed and kicked the entire way back to the warmer latitudes.

But she was on the phone with Chichi soon after that, telling her the good news and how that they could bring Gohan back home as soon as she wanted.

Naturally, Chichi was on her way to Capsule Corp. as soon as she was able.

* * *

Sakura stood nervously in front of Tsunade as the Hokage shuffled scrolls and mission reports around, looking disinterested in the young kunoichi standing right in front of her. The Sandaime, a regular at the Tower as an advisor and mentor to his old student, put a hand on her shoulder and smiled bracingly. His grandfatherly manner helped ease Sakura's nerves, though she had to admit, it was weird seeing the kind old man in casual civilian clothes consisting of durable but comfortable slacks and a loose, airy tunic.

"So," Tsunade said after half an eternity later, "why do you want to be my apprentice?" She gave Sakura an unfriendly look. "Someone like you looks like you should be primping your hair and doing your nails, not training with me."

"Now now, Tsunade," Sarutobi chided. "She's more than proven herself. Sakura-san has trained under Gohan-kun and done rather well by herself because of it."

Tsunade waved a dismissive hand. "If she's already got a master, then she should go to Gohan and get him to train her. Especially considering she's head over heels for the brat."

"He's not a brat!" Sakura said, her mouth running away before her head could stop it. "And quit talking about me like I'm not here. Gohan-kun's a great master, don't get me wrong, but he can't teach me the techniques I need! I want to be able to learn some more jutsu, learn to control my chakra better too and I want to get stronger!" She folded her arms. "I thought you would be the logical choice."

"Get the Old Man to train you," Tsunade shot back, but her eyes had changed. She didn't look so severely at Sakura now. "You're just trying to land a Sannin as an instructor, just like Naruto and Sasuke. I'm not playing a popularity contest here."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something right back but the look on Tsunade's face and Sakura blinked as she suddenly saw what Tsunade was doing. She was trying to get Sakura angry so the kunoichi would say something flippant and Tsunade could dismiss her without a second thought. It was a test to see just how Sakura would react when the heat was on and the pressure was mounting. "I'm trying to compete with Sasuke and Naruto," Sakura admitted, surprising Tsunade, "but you've got me all wrong. You're one of the Sannin, sure, but you're also one of the best medics in the world, if not the best." She glared at the Sannin turned Hokage.

"I might be head over heels for Gohan-kun but I'm not going to just sit by and let him and Naruto do all the work! At least as a medic I can protect them from harm. I can heal their wounds so they can keep moving forward! You said it yourself! A shinobi team needs a medic with them at all times. When you put that policy into place, casualties in the Shinobi Wars were cut by almost half and a wounded shinobi had an eighty percent chance of living long enough to make it back to their hospital to be treated in a better-equipped facility. Team Seven doesn't have that. We've got our close combat expert, our juggernaut, and a skilled leader, but we don't have a medic. And since I'm not Gohan-kun, Naruto, or Kakashi-sensei, it means that I have to be the medic so they can concentrate on their strengths."

Sakura leveled an adamant finger. "That's why I want to train under you, Hokage-sama, so I can keep my friends alive and actually contribute to the team!"

Tsunade stared at Sakura for a long time. Finally she broke eye contact and went back to her scrolls. Her pen scratched for even longer than she'd stared. "You're asking a lot, girl," Tsunade said finally. "You have no idea what the complex human body is like and how much control it takes to keep a person on the cusp of death on the living side of things."

"She's capable," Sarutobi said with a grin, his calming hand tightening in pride. "I've seen precious few genin with her control at her age. Given time, she could be one of the best medics I know of, perhaps even surpassing you."

"Quite the statement, Old Man," Tsunade said without looking up.

"One I stand by most fervently."

"Thank you," Sakura whispered.

"Alright then!" Tsunade's hands slammed down on her desk, scattering papers. The loud thump made Sakura jump. "If you're so damn determined, then I'll just have to show you what you're getting yourself into. You start tomorrow. Meet me in the atrium of Konoha General at dawn."

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. "I'll be there!" She gushed.

Tsunade gave her an approving nod. "I suggest you take care of any personal issues you might have," Tsunade added. "You're going to have precious little free time in the immediate future." Sakura and the Sandaime had left and were going down the stairs when the detonation of Gohan's frustrations had rumbled through the Tower's foundation.

"Jeeze," Sakura sighed. "He never quits!"

The Sandaime laughed heartily. "I can see that. Gohan-kun never quits does he? It makes me wonder what drives him? Perhaps it's the drive to protect someone close to him?" The venerable old leader gave Sakura a sideways look and smile. "Maybe you should go check on him. Make sure he's okay?"

Sakura hugged herself self-consciously. "It isn't like I planned," she said in a protest that sounded weak, even to her. "Ino said she was going to help me and then…" she trailed off with a self-conscious shrug. The two of them left the building just in time to see Gohan blast over the Hokage Tower and alight atop the Hokage Monument.

Sarutobi smiled as he lit his omnipresent pipe. "Sakura-san," he said, "it's beyond me to offer advice on relationships, but if you are willing, I will give you my opinion."

She looked up at the old man, green eyes almost pleading. "I'm willing to listen to anything at this point," she said finally.

"I gathered as much," Sarutobi noted dryly, laughing when Sakura gave him a look. He sobered and took a pull on the pipe, exhaling a cloud of fragrant smoke before speaking again, choosing his words with care. He remembered well when he was a teenager. The attention of the one he had cared for at that time had meant the world to him. A single hard or careless word from her would have broken him. He knew better now of course, but at the time, well, that was another story. "Gohan-kun is not a particularly vain boy. He cares little for pretense and even less for appearance." He smiled down at Sakura, who seemed to be absorbing every word like a dry sponge. "To Gohan-kun, what is on the inside is what is most important. I don't think he would care what you're wearing or how you look when you choose to confess to him, but I do know he would rather know that you are sincere."

Sakura looked stunned. "I…guess I hadn't thought of it like that." She gave him a searching, piercing look. "Are you sure?"

Sarutobi let loose a hearty laugh from the belly. "Yes, Sakura-san, I am positive. I was young once myself. I had similar doubts that you do now. There was a young woman who I thought was the sun, moon, and stars. I thought for days about how I could tell her how I felt and how I could make it perfect. I had it all planned out, a picnic lunch, a moonlit walk, everything."

"What happened?"

Sarutobi smiled wistfully, exhaling another cloud of pipe smoke, his eyes on a faraway memory. "I quite literally ran into her outside of a shop. I thought she'd been on a mission but it had been cancelled for some reason that I can't quite recall. She was due to report to the Tower to get a follow-up mission the next day, the day I was going to show her all of my carefully laid plans."

"So what did you do?"

"Well," Sarutobi chuckled, "we stood there looking awkward for a moment before I came right out and told her, right in the street. She had said that she had cared deeply for me in return. We ducked into an alley and shared a rather…passionate kiss and then that was that and we went our separate ways after promising to see each other when her mission was complete." He tapped the step of his pipe against his hand, a frown coming over him. "She…she was killed two days later. Casualty of the First Shinobi War."

Sakura looked startled. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Sarutobi shrugged. "I will always remember her, brief as our time was. Time has taken the sting, somewhat, but how much more would I have been hurt if I hadn't taken the opportunity to tell how I felt? My point is, Sakura, is that Gohan-kun may not be around someday. He would probably like to return to his home, never to return." He gave her a questioning look. "How much would you regret never telling him?" He pointed with his pipe. "Gohan is right up there. Why, I don't know, but nevertheless, he is there and you are here. You can wait to make things perfect, or you can seize the day and tell him now and accept what comes."

Sakura bit her lip, hesitating between uncertainty and decidedness. She thought about everything Sarutobi had said, everything she knew about Gohan, and what had happened between them so far. She'd all but admitted her feelings to him by that kiss when she'd left him behind to fight Jiroubou. Would putting words to it really be so bad? She thought for several minutes, teetering on a cliff that would change her relationship with Gohan one way or another for as long as they were in the same world. She smiled, finally coming to a decision.

Sarutobi smiled as he watched Sakura sprint for the stairs to the Hokage Monument's top.

* * *

Gohan sat on the benches in the rest area. The Hokage's Monument was a place in the village he'd never been to before and was hoping, since it was new, it would help calm him down. Exercise wasn't doing it, that was for sure, and he would go insane sitting around doing nothing. The cloud of emotions and thoughts, from wondering about Sakura and what she meant to him, to self-tormenting himself about failing to help his friends and bring Sasuke to the village again, to despair at the insurmountable challenge Orochimaru now posed, all of it swirled inside him like a tornado, sweeping him along for the ride and no amount of introspection was doing him any good.

Gohan growled in frustration again, watching as the sun set, casting a shadow over the village. Below, lights came on, followed by lamps, and soon the village sparkled like the galaxy in miniature. The stars came out one by one and the moon, nearly full, appeared over the horizon and began to rise. He ran his hands through his hair and then again in much more erratic manner. "Dammit!" he swore softly. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Gohan-kun?"

Sakura's voice was soft and Gohan spun around, having not heard her approach. "Sakura," he said, his voice squeaking. He cleared his throat and repeated himself. "Sakura. What's wrong?" The rest area atop the monument was a park, really, with benches, sparse lamps, giving atmosphere, and tastefully done landscaping with well-kempt bushes, trees, and other greenery.

Sakura was looking decidedly awkward, timid even, something that Gohan had never really seen in her before. He'd seen her desperate, panicked, frightened, and determined, but never, _never_, had he seen her look…timid. She came over to him and stood in front of him. She walked carefully, as if measuring each step, wary of frightening him off or something.

'Just tell her,' Gohan told himself firmly, but his mouth was glued shut. 'Tell her! At least get this off your chest, even if she laughs at you!'

"Sakura, I want to tell you something."

She spoke at the same time, mimicking his words. He grinned. "You first. Ladies first and all that stuff, right?" Sakura nodded, a ghost of a smile passing across her face, but that timid aura didn't go away. If anything, it got stronger when she looked away and started rubbing her arm. It was something that Gohan noticed she did when she was really nervous about something.

Annoyance flashed through her eyes and she shook her head, sending her hair flying. "Oh to hell with it!" she said finally. "I'm not good at this kind of thing!" She ran at him.

"Sakura! Oof!"

How Gohan managed to stay upright would puzzle him for years to come, but stay upright he did as Sakura latched onto him, hugging him to her tightly. His bruises let him know their displeasure, but he ignored them. Sakura pulled back a little and looked up, looking him straight in the eye. Jade met inky black. Gohan could see the cloud of emotions swirling around in her. Nervousness, hesitance, uncertainty, it was all there, but it was buried beneath determination and caring. Gohan's breath hitched in his throat. He could tell. He knew, just by looking into her eyes, how she felt.

He saw understanding and comprehension.

She knew how he felt as well, no words required.

Without realizing it, they had drawn closer together and they crossed that final gulf between them together as well. Lips pressed against lips. Son Gohan and Haruno Sakura kissed on that moonlit night on top of that monument. It was awkward, juvenile. Neither had much experience in that kind of thing after all, but emotions behind it belied the awkwardness.

They drew apart and Sakura smiled, her face flushed with excitement and embarrassment. "Sorry," she said with a giggle. "I'm not too good at this." She got redder, though Gohan pretended not to notice in the deepening dark. "Kissing and everything."

Gohan laughed. They were still loosely hugging and Sakura could feel his laugh tingle up her arms and echo into her. It lifted her mood and all her hesitance about Gohan rejecting her, about him turning her away, all of her doubts, were swept away. "I'm not too good at this either," Gohan admitted, but he grinned. "But practice makes perfect, right?"

They embraced again, Sakura putting her head on his shoulder. They were roughly the same height, though Sakura was a hair taller, normal for that particular point in their lives. She felt Gohan's arms snake around her waist and hold her to him. She felt safe, secure in those marble-chiseled arms of his. "Thank you, Gohan-kun," she whispered. "For everything. For training me, saving me all those times, not turning me away." Her eyes fell closed in contentment.

"I should be thanking you," he murmured back, enjoying how complete he felt with her next to him. He felt a sudden, fierce surge of affection for the kunoichi. He wanted to hold her, protect her, and watch over her, no matter what happened. "You saved my life at the Valley by standing up to Orochimaru when you did."

"Just repaying a favor," Sakura said with a smile as she stepped back, holding his hand for a brief moment before allowing her hand to drop to her side. "You've done it more than enough for me." She followed Gohan over to the rail of the overlook for the monument and sidled up along next to him, enjoying the warmth of his closeness in the rapidly cooling night.

They stood in silence for a long time. It wasn't awkward, not now, but it was comfortable, just a couple enjoying each other's company. "What will you do now?" Sakura asked.

"Eh?"

She waved an arm absently at the village stretched out below them. "You're from a different dimension and we…now…well you know." It was still a little weird to be saying that they were going out when she and Gohan hadn't even been on an official date yet.

Gohan looked down, a light frown creasing his face. "I've been wondering about that," he admitted. "Ever since I've gotten here, it's been full bore right from day one." He started ticking battles and events off on his fingers. "Zabuza, the Bridge, the Exams, Gaara, the Finals, training you, getting marked, going with Naruto, fighting Itachi and Akatsuki, fighting Orochimaru, going after and fighting Sasuke, a rematch with Orochimaru…I know there's a few others in there somewhere," he chuckled in a self-depreciating manner. "I've never gotten a moment of real peace."

"Until now?"

Gohan smiled at her and it made Sakura's world brighter. "Yeah," he agreed, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "Until now. To tell the truth, I wanted to go home, but…maybe I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"The thing that brought me here was probably destroyed when I went through it. Bulma did say that it was experimental after all and I doubt that she would've had the parts to build a new one. I don't even know if time flows at the same rate in my world." He looked up at the stars, unconsciously looking right at the quadrant of sky that held planet Namek. Or used to at least, if it even existed at all here. "For all I know, my friends, my family, they all died hundreds of years ago."

"Would it be so bad staying here?" Sakura asked softly. "You have a friend that considers you a brother, you have people who respect you. You're famous in the village for defeating Orochimaru at Tanzaku and Gaara in the prelims." She was silent for a moment then added in a softer tone. "You have me. I know we can never replace your family and friends, but…would it really be so bad?"

Gohan's answer wasn't long in coming. "No," he said, "it wouldn't."

Sakura grinned, then moved away from him, stretching. "Sorry," she said, "but I've got to go."

"Why?"

Sakura sighed. "I dug myself a grave and now I gotta go sleep in it. I apprenticed myself to Tsunade before I came over to find you," she went on, seeing Gohan's questioning glance. "She wants me at the hospital at dawn."

Gohan left the rail and came over to her, wrapping her up in a tight hug. "I'll see you later then," he said. "You know where to find me if you wanna…hang out or something."

Sakura laughed at him, returning his hug. "Just call it a date why don't you?"

"Because it sounds weird!"

"It does, doesn't it," Sakura admitted, pulling away and walking off. "I'll see you soon, Gohan!" She jogged off into the night.

Gohan watched her go before grinning the wide Son Grin, folding his hands behind his head. Suddenly, all his problems, all his worries, they all seemed so insignificant.

He couldn't wait to see what the next day held.

* * *

_One week later_

* * *

The festival in Konoha was in full swing. At sundown, the village had come alive with foods, drink, laughter, joking, and merry making. The villagers would party hearty, to make sure those that couldn't join them would hear the racket and know, from the afterlife, that the village they had struggled to defend, had died for, was alive and well and the people would never forget them. This festival was in celebration of their memory.

Sakura, arm-in-arm with Gohan, were strolling through the village, taking in the sights of the festival. Naruto had found out about them a few days prior and after throwing a fit about how Sakura was supposed to fall for Naruto, had promptly given Gohan a friendly, congratulatory slug and proceeded to follow the two of them around the village, on one of the very infrequent breaks Sakura got. He'd been making kissy noises and fishfaces at them the entire time. Gohan had managed to laugh it off, but Sakura was another story. Gohan had taken a few steps away from her when he'd noticed the subtle tension in her muscles that got tighter and tighter as the minutes wore on.

Finally she'd snapped and subjected Naruto to something so horrible that Gohan had been at a loss for words. She'd called it a 'Sennen Goroshi'. It had immidiatly landed on Gohan's list of techniques to use on Mr. Satan back home. He almost wished he could go home so he could use it on that lousy wrestler. Show him a thing or two about taking credit for other people's work. Sakura had actually backed off when she'd seen Gohan giggling evilly to himself about it.

Naruto was with them now, walking with an awkward limp. The three friends were spending as much time as they could together now that they knew that Sakura would be preoccupied for the foreseeable future and Naruto would be leaving on a three year trip with Jiraiya in a day or two. Gohan was occupied by his own training as well, trying to push himself to new heights, not content with his defeat at the hands of Orochimaru.

"It's going to be an interesting night," Gohan said.

"Just wait, Gohan, it's going to get better, I promise," Sakura said, with a grin. "It's the biggest festival of the year. Everyone's laughing and dancing and having a great time! It's been my favorite time of year since I could remember! And it goes on for three days!"

"Well it sounds like we'll have a good time then," Gohan said with a laugh. In fact, Sakura's leisure time had taken an abrupt upswing. Turns out that Tsunade was so swamped by the village's preparations that she couldn't pay Sakura as much attention as she had been for the past week. "It's about time. We haven't really had any time together since that night on the monument."

"Which I wouldn't trade for anything," Sakura answered promptly.

"Jeeze you two," Naruto said beside them. "Get a room already."

WHACK!

Sakura's fist drove him into the ground. "Naruto," she growled, cheeks flushing. Gohan just laughed. The two ninja were really interesting to watch. Somehow, Naruto put up with Sakura's bashing when anyone else would've hauled her in for abuse. In return, Sakura put up with Naruto's remarks that would've been classified as harassment by this point.

"Nice," Gohan said, looking down at the groaning blond. "Almost perfect. Tsunade's not just working with you on medical stuff is she?"

Sakura looked embarrassed. "Well, no. She said something about me needing to be able to keep up with you at night." She went furiously red.

"At night? Why?" Gohan asked. Sakura gave him a look. "What?" Then he got it and his eyes got big and he went red too as Naruto started laughing uproariously. "Oh."

"Naruto!"

"Ow! Hey! Stop it! Ouch! That hurts! Sakura-chan stop! YEOW!"

Sakura ground her heel into the poor boy's nose one more time and stepped over him. "You deserve it," Sakura shot back, looking ready to light into him again until Gohan steered her away.

"You know, if you ignore him, he'll leave you alone."

"This is Naruto we're talking about."

Gohan shrugged, a nearby lantern glinting off the hirai-ate tied around his left bicep. "Just thought I'd say it."

Sakura helped Naruto to his feet. "I will beat some manners into you eventually, Naruto," she sighed.

"Good thing I have a thick skull!"

"That's not something to be proud of, Naruto," Gohan said with a laugh. They went on their way.

Gohan, Sakura, Naruto, anyone in the village for that matter, had any idea of what was going to happen.

* * *

Outside Capsule Corp, Gohan's friends and family, very much alive and well, were gathered around the Dragonballs, which sat on the ground in their usual arrangement, one through six going around the outside of the seventh. The balls were glowing, pulsing in time with one another like a heart, like Shenlong, the massive dragon that granted whishes, could sense their presence and knew that he was about to be called to action.

Around the balls stood every member of Gohan's friends and family, who had heard about Gohan's dilemma in some form or other over the three or four months he'd been gone. Of the friends, only Chichi, Bulma, and Piccolo looked tense. Of course with Piccolo, it was hard to tell. His moods ranged from taciturn to taciturn with the occasional bout of taciturn thrown in for good measure.

"Do you think the Dragon can bring my Gohan back to me?" Chichi asked, dancing from toe to toe. She'd been like this ever since she'd gotten word from Bulma that Gohan was ready to come home. It was also the umpteenth time she had asked that question.

"For the millionth time, Chichi," Bulma shot back, "I'm fairly sure it'll work."

"Fairly sure?" Chichi demanded, eyes flashing. "You'd better be damn sure!"

"Look," Bulma replied, straining for patience, "the Dragon is a semi-omnipotent extradimensional being that can open a gate to our world through the Dragonballs."

"I thought the Dragonballs were magic?" Krillin asked.

"Everything can be explained with science," Bulma replied. "Even magic. Come on, Krillin, you should know that!"

"You'd think," Krillin sighed. Eighteen just snorted.

"Anyway," Bulma said, "the Dragon should be able to search the dimensions out there for Gohan. When it finds him, I'm hoping the Dragon can bring Gohan back in a way that was a lot more stable than the one I used to send him there in the first place. Before it was like having a shirt and tearing a hole in it. The Dragon's more like a needle and thread. Get it?"

"Let's just get this over with," Chichi said. "I want my baby home safe!"

"Assuming he wants to," Piccolo said.

"What was that you damn Martian?" Chichi demanded.

"Look, Gohan's been trapped in another world for three months. It's stupid to think he hasn't made some kind of life for himself. He's probably even gotten into a battle or two while he's been there. Are we sure he even wants to come home?"

"Of course he does!" Chichi said. "He's got to be so homesick by now!"

"Then you don't know Gohan," Piccolo muttered, but he said it low enough that Chichi didn't hear him.

"Are we just going to stand here or are we going to do something?" Vegeta asked from his usual spot at the edge of the crowd. "If not, then I'm going back inside."

"Fine, fine," Bulma sighed. "Let's get this over with." She stood over the Dragonballs. "Come forth Eternal Dragon!" The balls quit pulsing and began to glow with a steady light. "Shenlong!"

At the dragon's name, the skies overhead darkened, though it was evening out. Streetlights came on outside the Capsule Corp. compound. Lights in the skyscrapers began to blink on as people still working reached for the light switch.

Lighting, spidery and crackling with an ethereal sinister laughter, began to dance from cloud to cloud before lancing down to strike the balls with a deafening peal of thunder. The balls exploded into light, so bright and so intense, that everyone shielded their eyes. The power pounding about from the seven orbs was like a wind, rustling trees, capes, clothes, and hair.

An inhuman roar echoed over the concrete canyons and glass cliffs of the city, making people look around in confusion.

BWOOM!

A pillar of light shot out from the Dragonballs and climbed into the sky, twisting and turning as if it had a life of its own. With each twist, it became more and more distinct. The being wound itself around and around in never-ending coils, going on literally for miles. The fine details, like the long, catfish-like whiskers, the scales, the ruby-red eyes, and the three fingered clawed hands, began to form next before, after what felt like an eternity, the light exploded off the dragon.

Shenlong, in all his glory, loomed over the city. It was visible from everywhere, a gargantuan eastern-style dragon that never ceased moving, its coils always in motion, yet Shenlong's head and tail, which narrowed and tapered down into the Dragonballs, never budged.

As always, Bulma and the others were awestruck. They'd seen the dragon frequently and each time, they gaped like it was the first time. The dragon exhaled, his breath rolling over the city, sounding like low thunder. The silence was complete. Not even a leaf stirred. Finally, the Dragon's solid scarlet eyes found them and the mammoth jaw began to move.

"**Speak now, make your wish and it shall become so."**

Bulma had to take a moment to get her voice. "Shenlong! Son Gohan has been lost in a dimension beyond ours! Our wish is that you return him to us! Is this within your power?"

The dragon was silent a long time. **"I do not know," **Shenlong rumbled, **"The worlds beyond the here and now are vast and numerous. They number into the infinite."**

"Can you grant the wish or not?" Chichi screamed up at the dragon.

"**I will try."**

The dragon fell silent and his eyes began to glow. It went on so long that Bulma started glancing down at her watch. First one hour passed, then two, then the third started to slide by. But despite having been standing outside for three hours, no one dared move for fear that they might miss something. And it was also a bit of primal fear. The dragon's sheer power spoke to the basest parts of human instinct. What was happening now was a prey reaction, not a conscious choice.

The dragon screamed a roar. Everyone jumped. Shenlong had done nothing like that before. The black clouds above the dragon began to swirl as if in a tornado. Faster and faster they whirled until Shenlong exploded into gold-white light and, with a second, louder roar, surged up into the hole in the sky, which drooled scarlet light.

"What's going on?" Chichi shouted as winds began to whip around for the first time in hours.

"I think Shenlong found him!" Bulma shouted back. "Gohan's coming home!"

* * *

"Ah!" Naruto sighed, leaning back in his stool at Ichiraku ramen. His stomach was sticking out and he patted it fondly. "Good ramen. Thanks for the treat, Ero-Sennin."

Jiraiya looked down at his wallet as a moth flew out, jerked, then fell to the ground, dead as a doornail. "Don't mention it," he ground out with a twitching eyebrow. He glared at Naruto and the tower stacks of ramen noodle bowls beside the blond, then at Gohan and the towering stacks of ramen bowls beside him.

Iruka and Kakashi, who'd joined the group when they'd happened to run into them, laughed at Jiraiya's expression. "I warned you," Iruka said, chuckling. "But you said you had enough money to handle it."

"Knock me out next time," Jiraiya fumed. Finally he shook his head. "Alright, kid," he said to Naruto. "You'd better say your good-byes. We're going to head out tomorrow at first light. Gotta burn that ramen off you." It wasn't a surprise. Naruto had known he was leaving here soon anyway.

"Well," Gohan said with a grin. "I guess this is it."

"Yeah," Naruto replied. "Take care of Sakura-chan."

"Always." They clasped fists with grins. Brothers in all but blood.

Sakura hugged the blond. "I'd worry more about yourself, Naruto," she said, stepping back. "I think Jiraiya-sama isn't going to go easy on you."

"He can't do anything you already haven't done Sakura-chan," Naruto replied with a grin. "I'll see you in a couple years."

"Hey," Iruka said, holding up a camera. "Everyone smile."

FLASH!

He handed out the photos. It was an instant camera. The three teens bantered back and forth while they waited for the pictures to develop when it happened. A wind swept up the street and blew out candles and lanterns. People screamed as they were plunged into sudden darkness, shopkeepers swearing at the inconvenience.

Dark clouds spread out across the sky, roiling out across Konoha and beyond.

* * *

In Suna, Gaara and his siblings looked up as clouds appeared out of nowhere, hanging heavy in the sky.

In Wave, Inari, his mother, grandfather, and all the village murmured and chattered amongst themselves.

And in Rice, Orochimaru and Sasuke broke off their sparring. Orochimaru had nothing to say about what was happening. Gold eyes narrowed. "We're done for today," he said, spinning on his heel and vanishing into the underground complex.

Sasuke's Sharingan faded, but his scowl didn't. Somehow he knew. "What are you up to now, Son Gohan?" he asked the sky. Lightning, spidery and cackling with an ethereal, sinister, laughter was the only answer he got.

* * *

Gohan flinched as lightning cracked down the street; arcing from the cloud, down to a few feet above the ground, then back up. It passed close enough for the Saiyan to smell the ionized air.

"What's happening?" Sakura asked, holding her hair behind her ear with one hand. Gohan didn't answer. He had a good idea. He'd seen this often enough but he knew it was impossible. But here it was, happening in front of his eyes. The clouds began to rotate, spinning faster and faster until they drew up into the sky, allowing scarlet light to drool down from the gaping void.

"This looks just like when you…"

Sakura was cut off by a loud roar that had everyone clutching at their ears, and some shinobi whose old habits died hard, reaching for weapons. A pillar of golden-white light shot down from clouds, howling that awful roar. It vibrated everyone's bones in their skin. The light began to twist and twine, taking on a shape as it did.

The details came in and Gohan felt his blood run cold.

When the light burst off the creature, people screamed.

Shenlong loomed over Konohagakure.

"What is that thing?" Sakura asked, voice fluttering. She clung to Gohan's arm. "Gohan, what is that…"

"He's here for me."

"What?"

Gohan's eyes never left Shenlong and he looked like a stiff breeze, which had died off as Shenlong appeared, would knock him over.

"He's here for me," Gohan repeated again.

"How do you know?" Jiraiya asked, blood running across his hands as he folded hand seals, clearly readying himself to summon Gamabunta. "You can't be sure."

"I know," Gohan sighed, turning and hugging Sakura tightly to him. It seemed to her like he was hugging her good-bye. There were tears on his face. "I know he's here for me because I've seen it. That's Shenlong, the Eternal Dragon."

"From your world?" Kakashi breathed. He looked as surprised as anyone had ever seen him, Sharingan bared. He was one of those die-hard types. "I thought that wasn't possible."

"Shenlong doesn't listen to that kind of thing," Gohan answered. Sakura could feel him trembling, though from happiness or sadness she didn't know. She assumed it was a mix of both. "He's able to bring the dead back to life. Busting through dimensions can't be all that hard."

Shinobi leaped up from the rooftops, walls, and crowd, all of them in combat gear, hurling shuriken and kunai at the behemoth dragon, some even going so far as to summon their various animals and send them on the attack. Jiraiya would've been among them if Gohan hadn't talked them out of it.

Gohan turned and faced the dragon when he heard the shouted warcries of the shinobi.

"What happens now?" Sakura asked, clutching at his elbow.

Gohan laughed dryly. "I don't know. None of us were stupid enough to attack Shenlong."

Ruby light burst from Shenlong's eyes and washed over the attackers. They froze, still as statues, no matter where or what they were. Shinobi hung suspended in space, summon animals were frozen solid. There had been nearly fifty attackers and they were all frozen solid, like an ice carving.

The kunai and shuriken were nowhere to be found. They'd simply vanished. Gone. Poof. Shenlong had disabled half a hundred attackers, some fairly powerhouse summons, and just vanished thousands of kunai and shuriken, breaking every law of physics known, in the space of one breath. And he'd done it effortlessly.

Tsunade stood on the top of the Hokage's Tower, her haori and twin ponytails whipping. Her ANBU guards, in one of their scarce visible moments, were frozen in place, limned in red light, just like every other person Shenlong had disabled.

"Who are you?" She demanded of the dragon.

She recoiled on instinct, her feet frozen in place when Shenlong's featureless red eyes found her, but she could feel the timelessness of his gaze, feel the crushing power of the dragon as if she'd seen him before.

It wasn't a comfortable feeling.

Then, to everyone's great surprise (Gohan excluded), the Eternal Dragon's jaw dropped and the creature began to speak.

"**I have many names,"** he thundered, voice easily audible through the entire village. **"But those who call me most often have given me the name Shenlong, the Eternal Dragon. I have come from worlds beyond yours, Tsunade of the Leaf, seeking to grant a wish made upon me by those who roused me from my slumber."**

Tsunade didn't ask how the thing knew her name. It would be like her looking at a tree. You just call it a tree. You don't think about where you get the name from. "Who are you looking for?" She inquired, already guessing she knew the answer.

"Tsunade-shishou!"

Tsunade turned around and saw Gohan, carrying Sakura land behind her. Naruto, Iruka, Jiraiya, and Kakashi weren't far behind, leaping over the railing to the rooftop balcony, landing in crouches.

"**Son Gohan."**

Gohan looked up and found the Eternal Dragon's depthless eyes on him. "I'm here, Shenlong."

"**The wish has been made to return you to your world. I will now grant this wish!"** Shenlong's eyes glowed again. Gohan was limned in ruby light and scarlet sparks began to float up from the ground around him. His feet began to vanish first, slowly turning transparent before disappearing altogether.

"Gohan!" Sakura cried, rushing into his arms, sobbing. "No! You can't! You can't leave now!" She clung to him like he was her last link to sanity.

"Shenlong," Gohan murmured, knowing full well the dragon could hear him. "Can you cancel the wish? Or override it with another?"

"**The wish has been made. It cannot be stopped."**

"No!" Sakura wailed. "I can't lose you! Not now!"

The vanishing had proceeded to Gohan's knees now and was climbing higher.

"Hey, it's not over," Gohan whispered to the disconsolate kunoichi. "Hey, Sakura, listen to me. Listen!" At his gentle command, Sakura pulled back enough to look him in the eye. "The dragon grants two wishes as long as he isn't dismissed first. I can come right back."

"What if he gets dismissed?" Tsunade asked.

"Then Shenlong has to rest for six months before the Dragonballs can be used again. If two wishes are made then he has to rest for a year."

"A year?" Sakura repeated. "Gohan…" Gohan silenced her with a quick kiss. They'd gotten better at that in the brief week they'd had.

"Sakura, I'll be back. At the longest, I'll be gone one year." He embraced her tightly again. Sakura tried to ignore the insubstantial feel he had to him now, like a ghost that was moving on. "One year and I'm back."

"Promise me," she said.

"Promise. One for sure."

"Now wait," Jiraiya said as Sakura and Gohan separated. Gohan was fading quickly now and he had to strain to hear Jiraiya, like the Sannin was shouting across a great distance. "Naruto's going after Sasuke in three years. Orochimaru will become more powerful in that time." The Sage grinned at Gohan. "I say you stay in your world for the three years and train your ass off. Orochimaru kicked your butt once before and you'll have to get stronger to beat him. Train with someone who can help you in ways that we can't then come back and we'll give that slippery bastard something to really fear!"

"Good idea," Tsunade added. "I'll train Sakura so she's ready when the three years are up as well."

"Well, Gohan?" Kakashi asked.

Gohan was a wraith now. They could barely hear him, but the message got across.

"Three years!" Gohan yelled.

He vanished and Son Gohan was gone.

"**Your wish," **Shenlong rumbled, **"has been granted. Farewell!"**

The dragon dissolved into gold light again, which shot into the hole in the sky and was gone. The void sealed, the lightning ceased, the clouds cleared, and there was no sign of Shenlong the Eternal Dragon or Son Gohan in Konohagakure.

* * *

Click the next button for the Epilogue to Gohan's Dilemma


	46. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Own nothing

* * *

Gohan was aware of speeding through a red world with a background of deep scarlet and clouds of a red so deep they were almost black for only a second before white light enveloped him and the ground rushed up at him.

The ground in the city rumbled as a streak of golden light burst from the hole in the clouds and hit the ground with enough force to crack windows and blow out lights across the city. Everyone closest to the blast shielded their eyes. When the dragon pulled himself free of his void, he looked down at the assembled Z fighters. **"Your wish has been granted. Farewell!"**

"Hey!" Bulma shouted, "What about the second wish? Get back here you stupid dragon!"

The dragon was gone in a burst of light. The Dragonballs lifted into the sky of their own accord then scattered to the ends of the earth. The sky cleared and everything was back to normal. Well, everything except for the cloud of dust hanging everywhere. Bulma shrugged. "I guess ripping through space-time really takes it out of you."

"Gohan?" Chichi called, her heart pounding in her throat.

When a black shadow stood up in the pall, Chichi threw herself at it with wild abandon. "Gohan!"

"Mom?" Gohan managed to ask before he was steamrolled by his mother.

"Oh my Gohan," Chichi breathed, stroking her son's hair, "you're alright, you're okay. You're…" she took a step back and saw the small bandages here and there on his body, small leftovers of Gohan's wounds from Orochimaru. "You're a mess! What the hell do you think you're doing, young man, getting into a fight?"

"I had to, Mom," he answered, "or someone important to me would have died." He looked at the developed photo Iruka had just taken. Gohan, Sakura, and Naruto were in the center frame, smiling fondly. Gohan and Sakura were arm-in-arm, grinning like idiots and Naruto, megawatt fox grin firmly in place, was trying to climb over their shoulders. One hand was on Gohan's head, the other was in Jiraiya's face, who had tried for the cool and distant crossed arms pose, but had it messed up by Naruto's exuberance. Kakashi was on the other side of the frame, Icha Icha book in hand and not paying any attention at all to the camera.

He was hugged by his mother. "I'm home, Mom."

"Thank God," she whispered then stepped back, suddenly severe. "Now you march right back home, young man. You have months of studying to catch up on!" Chichi started walking away when Gohan's voice stopped her.

"No."

Everyone, from Vegeta to Oolong, looked like lighting had just struck them. Gohan had never defied his mother so brazenly before. At least not in public.

"What?" Chichi asked, her voice dangerous. "Listen to your mother. You are going back home and…"

"Training," Gohan interrupted. "I'm training."

"Well," Vegeta said, coming forward, an approving smirk on his face. "The son of Kakkarot has some proper Saiyan pride in him after all. And what brought on this miraculous change of heart?"

"I'm going back to that world in three years," Gohan said. His tone brooked no room for doubt and he steamrolled ahead before his mother could cut him off. "I promised everyone that I would." He glanced at the photo again and for the first time, they noticed the odd piece of armor on his arm.

It was a metal plate tied to a band of navy-blue. In the exact center of the plate was a design. It was a swirl with an odd triangle part on one end and a straight line on the other. It looked oddly like a leaf.

"Piccolo," Gohan said. "Would you mind training me again?"

The Namekian gave an approving half-smile. "Sure kid. I'll have you back into shape in no time."

"Stop right there, Son Gohan!" Chichi thundered. "I already told you I will not have another karate bum in this house! You will study and stay right here, where you belong!"

"No," Gohan said. "I know I shouldn't be saying that to you, Mom, but I'm going back. There's no way to stop me."

"Why?" Yamcha asked. "Why's it so important to you to go back there?"

"I said I promised them."

"But who did you promise?" Master Roshi asked.

"Sakura and Naruto," Gohan replied with a grin.

"Who?" Piccolo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gohan's grin got wider.

"We'd better go inside," Gohan said, walking towards the entrance to Capsule Corp. "Have I got a story to tell you."

**THE END**

* * *

So ends Gohan's Dilemma. I want to thank all of you for your support and reviews. This story idea came to me in Chemistry class in High School while I was daydreaming (probably when I should've been paying attention to the teacher). It sat in the back of my head for years until I decided to write it down. This thing cleared 1100 reviews at the time of this A/N writing, something that is sure to have changed by now. I never dreamed that it would be this popular. I would've been happy with a hundred, but you all have given so much more than that and I thank you again for it. It's no small achievement on your part either. Let me put this in perspective for you. At its end, Gohan's Dilemma was 624 pages in Microsoft word. That's 312 paper pages, printed front and back. That comes out to only thirty or so pages shorter than _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_, which sits at 341. And you read all of it. For a final time, thank you for the effort you put into reading it. I hope you enjoyed more than I enjoyed writing it. That said, we're not done yet!

I'll see you all in Gohan's Return! Look for it in October! I've got the first four chapters done and the fifth is well on its way!


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